Reviewed by USGSChina79y ago
M5.7 earthquake 118 km W of Kangding, China
Tuesday, May 25, 1948, 18:43:21 UTC · 29.910°N, 100.731°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 118 km W of Kangding, China on Tuesday, May 25, 1948, 18:43:21 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on May 25, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
384 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
35 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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 40 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 87 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 154 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 57 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 158 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 76 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 294 km E of this epicenter
- 6.0eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 273 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 34,119 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 280 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 179 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 166 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 167 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 51 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 203 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.