Reviewed by USGSChina75y ago
M6.2 earthquake 193 km WSW of Laojunmiao, China
Wednesday, December 26, 1951, 16:30:53 UTC · 39.490°N, 95.528°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 193 km WSW of Laojunmiao, China on Wednesday, December 26, 1951, 16:30:53 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on April 19, 1941.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
27 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 57 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1,103 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on January 23, 1952. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 89 km E of this epicenter
- 6.5200 km S of Jiuquan, ChinaJuly 13, 1930 · 291 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.2106 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaApril 19, 1941 · 151 km E of this epicenter
- 6.2161 km S of Laojunmiao, ChinaMarch 15, 1927 · 206 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.1281 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaSeptember 4, 1917 · 90 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.8188 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaMarch 11, 1934 · 148 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.7northern Qinghai, ChinaNovember 29, 1935 · 194 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.6140 km SW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 105 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 311 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1932M7.6
Gansu Province
25 Dec 1932 · 103 km away · intensity X
275 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1785M6.0
Gansu Province: Huihuipu
18 Apr 1785 · 216 km away · intensity VIII
36 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.