Reviewed by USGSIndia77y ago
M6.3 earthquake 38 km N of Shi Yomi, India
Saturday, September 30, 1950, 07:29:00 UTC · 28.873°N, 94.409°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 38 km N of Shi Yomi, India on Saturday, September 30, 1950, 07:29:00 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on August 18, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
38 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 80 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
113 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
20 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on October 8, 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 42 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 · 207 km E of this epicenter
- 7.373 km W of Shi Yomi, IndiaJuly 29, 1947 · 88 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.213 km W of Dergaon, IndiaOctober 23, 1943 · 248 km S of this epicenter
- 6.634 km NNW of Tawang, IndiaDecember 3, 1915 · 284 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 294 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km NNE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 18, 1950 · 148 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 133 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.256 km NNW of Tezu, IndiaAugust 16, 1950 · 155 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,800 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 208 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1915M7.0
Tibet (Xizang Province)
3 Dec 1915 · 291 km away · intensity IX
170 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1806M7.7
Tibet (Xizang Province): Shannan (Lhoka)
11 Jun 1806 · 239 km away
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1713
Arunachal; Bhutan
1713 · 206 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 248 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1947M7.9
India-China
29 Jul 1947 · 58 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.