Reviewed by USGSChina83y ago
M6.5 earthquake 205 km ENE of Burang, China
Sunday, October 29, 1944, 00:11:34 UTC · 31.008°N, 83.160°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 205 km ENE of Burang, China on Sunday, October 29, 1944, 00:11:34 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on October 17, 1944.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- 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
97 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 204 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
318 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 November 6, 1944. 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 18 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.021 km SE of Dārchulā, NepalAugust 28, 1916 · 280 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9NepalMay 27, 1936 · 293 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8212 km ENE of Burang, ChinaOctober 17, 1944 · 28 km N of this epicenter
- 6.588 km ENE of Joshīmath, IndiaOctober 14, 1911 · 269 km W of this epicenter
- 6.573 km E of Burang, ChinaMarch 6, 1913 · 148 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.226 km E of Birendranagar, NepalNovember 29, 1918 · 299 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.014 km W of Dhārchula, IndiaMarch 5, 1935 · 298 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.0155 km NW of Saga, ChinaJune 18, 1931 · 120 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1916M7.7
Nepal; Tibet (Xizang Province)
28 Aug 1916 · 235 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.