Reviewed by USGSIndia77y ago
M5.9 earthquake 52 km NNE of Shi Yomi, India
Tuesday, August 22, 1950, 06:43:15 UTC · 28.970°N, 94.584°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 52 km NNE of Shi Yomi, India on Tuesday, August 22, 1950, 06:43:15 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 22, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- 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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 23 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
115 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 M6.0 on August 23, 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 27 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 · 194 km E of this epicenter
- 7.373 km W of Shi Yomi, IndiaJuly 29, 1947 · 108 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.213 km W of Dergaon, IndiaOctober 23, 1943 · 263 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km NNE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 18, 1950 · 129 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 115 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.256 km NNW of Tezu, IndiaAugust 16, 1950 · 144 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.264 km NE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 15, 1950 · 123 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.128 km N of Along, IndiaAugust 17, 1950 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,630 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 194 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1806M7.7
Tibet (Xizang Province): Shannan (Lhoka)
11 Jun 1806 · 257 km away
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1713
Arunachal; Bhutan
1713 · 225 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 263 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1947M7.9
India-China
29 Jul 1947 · 77 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.