Reviewed by USGSIndia88y ago
M6.2 earthquake 11 km SE of Kakching, India
Saturday, May 27, 1939, 03:45:46 UTC · 24.414°N, 94.051°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 11 km SE of Kakching, India on Saturday, May 27, 1939, 03:45:46 UTC, at a depth of 65.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on August 16, 1938.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 66 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
25 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 53 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
205 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
66 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 25 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.031 km SE of Falam, MyanmarAugust 16, 1938 · 189 km S of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 207 km N of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 259 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.221 km SE of Wāngjing, IndiaApril 12, 1917 · 14 km E of this epicenter
- 6.213 km NW of Imphal, IndiaSeptember 22, 1930 · 58 km N of this epicenter
- 6.164 km WSW of Myitkyina, MyanmarFebruary 10, 1931 · 290 km E of this epicenter
- 6.176 km NNW of Mogok, MyanmarFebruary 21, 1936 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 6.021 km W of Falam, MyanmarAugust 10, 1923 · 180 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1869
Assam: Cachar,Silchar
10 Jan 1869 · 157 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 229 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1931
Kamaing
28 Jan 1931 · 298 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1846M7.5
India
10 Dec 1846 · 206 km away
- 1868M7.5
Sylhet
30 Jun 1868 · 258 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.