Reviewed by USGSChina79y ago
M7.3 earthquake 151 km W of Kangding, China
Tuesday, May 25, 1948, 07:11:34 UTC · 30.124°N, 100.391°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 151 km W of Kangding, China on Tuesday, May 25, 1948, 07:11:34 UTC, at a depth of 55.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 55 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: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 89 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,818 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
370 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
55 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 200 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on May 25, 1948. 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 16 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 66 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 135 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 83 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 160 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 36 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.9177 km W of Kangding, ChinaAugust 24, 1930 · 37 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.8Qinghai-Sichuan border region, ChinaApril 28, 1930 · 293 km N of this epicenter
- 5.8139 km NNW of Shangri-La, ChinaMarch 6, 1932 · 173 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 13,469 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 164 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 145 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 135 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 70 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 175 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 169 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.