Reviewed by USGSMyanmar86y ago
M6.7 earthquake 172 km ENE of Lashio, Myanmar
Friday, May 16, 1941, 07:14:36 UTC · 23.722°N, 99.202°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 172 km ENE of Lashio, Myanmar on Friday, May 16, 1941, 07:14:36 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on March 16, 1925.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
169 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
324 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
25 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 42 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.362 km S of Bhamo, MyanmarFebruary 17, 1905 · 207 km W of this epicenter
- 7.399 km E of Lashio, MyanmarJune 22, 1923 · 112 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 255 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 242 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 209 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3106 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarAugust 11, 1933 · 229 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3113 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarDecember 2, 1930 · 237 km N of this epicenter
- 6.288 km NE of Myitkyina, MyanmarOctober 16, 1929 · 269 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,260 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 255 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1803M6.0
Yunnan Province
1 Feb 1803 · 252 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
23 Feb 1839 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
129 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
7 Feb 1839 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884M6.5
Yunnan Province
14 Nov 1884 · 210 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1927M5.0
Yunnan Province: Xinping
20 Mar 1927 · 288 km away · intensity VI
7 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.