Reviewed by USGSChina85y ago
M6.4 earthquake 69 km ENE of Jinghong, China
Saturday, January 31, 1942, 17:30:39 UTC · 22.247°N, 101.348°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 69 km ENE of Jinghong, China on Saturday, January 31, 1942, 17:30:39 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on December 26, 1941.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
52 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 110 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
310 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and North American 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 14 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.399 km E of Lashio, MyanmarJune 22, 1923 · 278 km W of this epicenter
- 6.980 km N of Kēng Tung, MyanmarDecember 26, 1941 · 158 km W of this epicenter
- 6.833 km WSW of Yuxi, ChinaDecember 21, 1913 · 242 km N of this epicenter
- 6.827 km SE of Dien Bien Phu, VietnamNovember 1, 1935 · 223 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7172 km ENE of Lashio, MyanmarMay 16, 1941 · 274 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.741 km S of Luang Namtha, LaosDecember 22, 1925 · 186 km S of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNE of Chiang Klang, ThailandMay 13, 1935 · 286 km S of this epicenter
- 6.267 km NNW of Sainyabuli, LaosFebruary 12, 1934 · 274 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,673 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1799M6.5
Yunnan Province
27 Aug 1799 · 203 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1887M6.8
Yunnan Province
16 Dec 1887 · 200 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1763M6.5
Yunnan Province
30 Dec 1763 · 272 km away · intensity VIII
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1913M7.0
Yunnan Province
21 Dec 1913 · 240 km away · intensity IX
942 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1814M6.0
Yunnan Province: Siping
24 Nov 1814 · 200 km away · intensity VIII
900 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1755M6.5
Yunnan Province
27 Jan 1755 · 286 km away · intensity VIII
270 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.