Reviewed by USGSChina77y ago
M5.9 earthquake 157 km SSW of Qamdo, China
Saturday, September 2, 1950, 16:14:43 UTC · 29.758°N, 96.753°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 157 km SSW of Qamdo, China on Saturday, September 2, 1950, 16:14:43 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
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
182 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on September 4, 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 31 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 · 158 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km NNE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 18, 1950 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 156 km W of this epicenter
- 6.256 km NNW of Tezu, IndiaAugust 16, 1950 · 174 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.264 km NE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 15, 1950 · 170 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.128 km N of Along, IndiaAugust 17, 1950 · 237 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.1167 km SSW of Qamdo, ChinaAugust 18, 1950 · 19 km W of this epicenter
- 6.097 km NE of Shi Yomi, IndiaAugust 23, 1950 · 179 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 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 · 218 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 142 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.