Reviewed by USGSIndia80y ago
M7.3 earthquake 73 km W of Shi Yomi, India
Tuesday, July 29, 1947, 13:43:24 UTC · 28.484°N, 93.628°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 73 km W of Shi Yomi, India on Tuesday, July 29, 1947, 13:43:24 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 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
- 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 earthquakeColoured 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
120 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
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:
- 7.213 km W of Dergaon, IndiaOctober 23, 1943 · 199 km S of this epicenter
- 6.634 km NNW of Tawang, IndiaDecember 3, 1915 · 197 km W of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 266 km S of this epicenter
- 6.429 km SE of Trashigang, BhutanJanuary 21, 1941 · 232 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 214 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2100 km NE of Dêqên, ChinaSeptember 3, 1940 · 299 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.023 km WSW of Udalguri, IndiaJanuary 27, 1941 · 263 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.83 km E of Rangia, IndiaNovember 9, 1932 · 299 km SW 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 270 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1915M7.0
Tibet (Xizang Province)
3 Dec 1915 · 236 km away · intensity IX
170 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1806M7.7
Tibet (Xizang Province): Shannan (Lhoka)
11 Jun 1806 · 159 km away
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1713
Arunachal; Bhutan
1713 · 126 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 199 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1947M7.9
India-China
29 Jul 1947 · 36 km away
- 1846M7.5
India
10 Dec 1846 · 283 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.