Reviewed by USGSChina77y ago
M5.6 earthquake 209 km ENE of Nagqu, China
Sunday, September 17, 1950, 15:56:00 UTC · 32.440°N, 93.962°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 209 km ENE of Nagqu, China on Sunday, September 17, 1950, 15:56:00 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 21, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 9 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
492 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
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 10 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.2161 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaJune 23, 1934 · 122 km W of this epicenter
- 6.279 km SSW of Nagqu, ChinaOctober 4, 1940 · 281 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaMay 5, 1915 · 300 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.0181 km NNW of Nagqu, ChinaAugust 21, 1950 · 241 km W of this epicenter
- 5.990 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaAugust 23, 1938 · 147 km W of this epicenter
- 5.991 km SW of Nagqu, ChinaSeptember 3, 1940 · 299 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.7210 km NE of Nagqu, ChinaFebruary 16, 1940 · 19 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.7171 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaMarch 25, 1929 · 298 km S 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 424 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1738M6.5
Qinghai Province
1738 · 264 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
- 1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 291 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.