Reviewed by USGSIndia84y ago
M7.2 earthquake 13 km W of Dergaon, India
Saturday, October 23, 1943, 17:23:21 UTC · 26.705°N, 93.829°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 13 km W of Dergaon, India on Saturday, October 23, 1943, 17:23:21 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
888 kilotons of TNT
That is about 59 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,862 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
52 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.634 km NNW of Tawang, IndiaDecember 3, 1915 · 241 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 87 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 289 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.429 km SE of Trashigang, BhutanJanuary 21, 1941 · 208 km W of this epicenter
- 6.221 km SE of Wāngjing, IndiaApril 12, 1917 · 255 km S of this epicenter
- 6.213 km NW of Imphal, IndiaSeptember 22, 1930 · 200 km S of this epicenter
- 6.211 km SE of Kakching, IndiaMay 27, 1939 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 6.023 km WSW of Udalguri, IndiaJanuary 27, 1941 · 194 km W 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 102 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.7
Tibet (Xizang Province): Shannan (Lhoka)
11 Jun 1806 · 269 km away
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1869
Assam: Cachar,Silchar
10 Jan 1869 · 279 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1713
Arunachal; Bhutan
1713 · 121 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.2
Assam
23 Oct 1943 · 0 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 184 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1846M7.5
India
10 Dec 1846 · 114 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.