Reviewed by USGSChina77y ago
M5.8 earthquake 62 km WNW of Jinghong, China
Friday, February 3, 1950, 13:03:57 UTC · 22.210°N, 100.174°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 62 km WNW of Jinghong, China on Friday, February 3, 1950, 13:03:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on February 3, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
332 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
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 18 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 · 165 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.923 km NNE of Kēng Tung, MyanmarFebruary 2, 1950 · 46 km S of this epicenter
- 6.980 km N of Kēng Tung, MyanmarDecember 26, 1941 · 40 km W of this epicenter
- 6.726 km NNE of Kēng Tung, MyanmarFebruary 3, 1950 · 43 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7172 km ENE of Lashio, MyanmarMay 16, 1941 · 195 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.741 km S of Luang Namtha, LaosDecember 22, 1925 · 225 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.469 km ENE of Jinghong, ChinaJanuary 31, 1942 · 121 km E of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNE of Chiang Klang, ThailandMay 13, 1935 · 296 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,195 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1799M6.5
Yunnan Province
27 Aug 1799 · 288 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1887M6.8
Yunnan Province
16 Dec 1887 · 290 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1814M6.0
Yunnan Province: Siping
24 Nov 1814 · 290 km away · intensity VIII
900 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M6.0
Yunnan Province
6 Apr 1940 · 287 km away · intensity VIII
181 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1942M6.8
Yunnan Province: Simao
1 Feb 1942 · 100 km away · intensity VIII
90 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1884M6.5
Yunnan Province
14 Nov 1884 · 129 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.