Reviewed by USGSMyanmar77y ago
M6.7 earthquake 26 km NNE of Kēng Tung, Myanmar
Friday, February 3, 1950, 02:51:54 UTC · 21.850°N, 100.029°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 26 km NNE of Kēng Tung, Myanmar on Friday, February 3, 1950, 02:51:54 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on February 2, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
175 kilotons of TNT
That is about 12 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 367 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
292 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 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 16 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 · 173 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.923 km NNE of Kēng Tung, MyanmarFebruary 2, 1950 · 3 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.980 km N of Kēng Tung, MyanmarDecember 26, 1941 · 59 km N of this epicenter
- 6.779 km NNW of Pai, ThailandMay 2, 1922 · 270 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7172 km ENE of Lashio, MyanmarMay 16, 1941 · 225 km N of this epicenter
- 6.741 km S of Luang Namtha, LaosDecember 22, 1925 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.469 km ENE of Jinghong, ChinaJanuary 31, 1942 · 143 km E of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNE of Chiang Klang, ThailandMay 13, 1935 · 265 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 · 142 km away · intensity VIII
90 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1884M6.5
Yunnan Province
14 Nov 1884 · 169 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1941M7.0
Yunnan Province
16 May 1941 · 205 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1941M7.0
Yunnan Province
26 Dec 1941 · 95 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1950M7.0
Yunnan Province
2 Feb 1950 · 18 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1938M6.2
Yunnan Province
14 May 1938 · 118 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.