Reviewed by USGSIndia78y ago
M5.9 earthquake 5 km NE of Tuensang, India
Sunday, November 28, 1948, 21:43:09 UTC · 26.308°N, 94.856°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 5 km NE of Tuensang, India on Sunday, November 28, 1948, 21:43:09 UTC, at a depth of 50.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on September 9, 1947.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 50 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
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 21 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
146 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
50 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 43 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 197 km E of this epicenter
- 7.373 km W of Shi Yomi, IndiaJuly 29, 1947 · 271 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 230 km E of this epicenter
- 7.213 km W of Dergaon, IndiaOctober 23, 1943 · 111 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km ENE of Mawlaik, MyanmarSeptember 12, 1946 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 34 km W of this epicenter
- 6.528 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1937 · 191 km E of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 179 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1713
Arunachal; Bhutan
1713 · 227 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 111 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 73 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929
Myitkyina
4 Jun 1929 · 265 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1931
Kamaing
28 Jan 1931 · 219 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1947M7.9
India-China
29 Jul 1947 · 258 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.