Reviewed by USGSIndia77y ago
M5.7 earthquake 74 km NNE of Sarupathar, India
Wednesday, August 16, 1950, 23:21:27 UTC · 26.859°N, 96.968°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 74 km NNE of Sarupathar, India on Wednesday, August 16, 1950, 23:21:27 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on August 16, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- 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
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
17 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 3 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.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 64 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 · 175 km N of this epicenter
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 112 km S of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 21 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 199 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 253 km W of this epicenter
- 6.528 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1937 · 103 km S of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 169 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 215 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,547 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 188 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 294 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M6.8
Yunnan Province
27 Jun 1948 · 276 km away · intensity VIII
110 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1902M5.5
Yunnan Province
Aug 1902 · 298 km away · intensity VII
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1906M5.3
Yunnan Province
May 1906 · 300 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 175 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.