Reviewed by USGSIndia77y ago
M5.8 earthquake 84 km SSE of Hayuliang, India
Tuesday, August 15, 1950, 21:01:35 UTC · 27.337°N, 96.777°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 84 km SSE of Hayuliang, India on Tuesday, August 15, 1950, 21:01:35 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on August 15, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 25 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: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
56 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 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 lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on August 22, 1950. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.795 km NNE of Sarupathar, India77y ago · 40 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.194 km NNE of Sarupathar, India77y ago · 55 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.7113 km NNE of Sarupathar, India77y ago · 41 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.774 km NNE of Sarupathar, India77y ago · 56 km S of this epicenter
- 5.585 km NNE of Sarupathar, India77y ago · 66 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 53 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.61950 Assam-Tibet EarthquakeAugust 15, 1950 · 119 km N of this epicenter
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 163 km S of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 76 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 247 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 256 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.528 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1937 · 154 km S of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 215 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 267 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,530 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 132 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 300 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 195 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1930M6.7
Yunnan Province:
21 Sep 1930 · 247 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929M5.5
Htawgaw
19 Jan 1929 · 238 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929
Myitkyina
4 Jun 1929 · 241 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.