Reviewed by USGSMyanmar77y ago
M6.9 earthquake 23 km NNE of Kēng Tung, Myanmar
Thursday, February 2, 1950, 23:33:46 UTC · 21.824°N, 100.016°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 23 km NNE of Kēng Tung, Myanmar on Thursday, February 2, 1950, 23:33:46 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on June 22, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
374 kilotons of TNT
That is about 25 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 785 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
289 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.7 on February 3, 1950. 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 14 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.399 km E of Lashio, MyanmarJune 22, 1923 · 174 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.980 km N of Kēng Tung, MyanmarDecember 26, 1941 · 62 km N of this epicenter
- 6.779 km NNW of Pai, ThailandMay 2, 1922 · 267 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7172 km ENE of Lashio, MyanmarMay 16, 1941 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 6.741 km S of Luang Namtha, LaosDecember 22, 1925 · 204 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.469 km ENE of Jinghong, ChinaJanuary 31, 1942 · 145 km E of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNE of Chiang Klang, ThailandMay 13, 1935 · 263 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.267 km NNW of Sainyabuli, LaosFebruary 12, 1934 · 267 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 107 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1942M6.8
Yunnan Province: Simao
1 Feb 1942 · 145 km away · intensity VIII
90 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1884M6.5
Yunnan Province
14 Nov 1884 · 172 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1941M7.0
Yunnan Province
16 May 1941 · 207 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1941M7.0
Yunnan Province
26 Dec 1941 · 98 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1950M7.0
Yunnan Province
2 Feb 1950 · 16 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1938M6.2
Yunnan Province
14 May 1938 · 120 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.