Reviewed by USGSIndia77y ago
M5.9 earthquake 48 km N of Hayuliang, India
Wednesday, August 23, 1950, 18:47:03 UTC · 28.504°N, 96.476°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 48 km N of Hayuliang, India on Wednesday, August 23, 1950, 18:47:03 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 23, 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
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on August 24, 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 41 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 · 16 km S of this epicenter
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 294 km S of this epicenter
- 7.373 km W of Shi Yomi, IndiaJuly 29, 1947 · 278 km W of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 208 km S of this epicenter
- 6.528 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1937 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 201 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km NNE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 18, 1950 · 96 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 201 km NW 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 3,830 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 296 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 2 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 295 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1947M7.9
India-China
29 Jul 1947 · 242 km away
- 1908M7.2
Kachin
12 Dec 1908 · 211 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.