Reviewed by USGSChina89y ago
M5.8 earthquake 117 km S of Jianshui, China
Wednesday, October 26, 1938, 03:27:49 UTC · 23.219°N, 101.221°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 117 km S of Jianshui, China on Wednesday, October 26, 1938, 03:27:49 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on May 14, 1938.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 14 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
418 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
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 10 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 · 261 km W of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 295 km N of this epicenter
- 6.833 km WSW of Yuxi, ChinaDecember 21, 1913 · 155 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.741 km S of Luang Namtha, LaosDecember 22, 1925 · 295 km S of this epicenter
- 6.231 km SSE of Jinghong, ChinaJuly 1, 1923 · 172 km S of this epicenter
- 6.245 km SSW of Yuxi, ChinaJanuary 12, 1934 · 149 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2139 km N of Kēng Tung, MyanmarMay 14, 1938 · 153 km W of this epicenter
- 6.072 km ENE of Dali, ChinaMay 14, 1930 · 291 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 20,749 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1833M8.0
Yunnan Province
6 Sep 1833 · 285 km away · intensity XI
6,700 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 295 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1799M6.5
Yunnan Province
27 Aug 1799 · 136 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1887M6.8
Yunnan Province
16 Dec 1887 · 141 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1763M6.5
Yunnan Province
30 Dec 1763 · 201 km away · intensity VIII
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1913M7.0
Yunnan Province
21 Dec 1913 · 162 km away · intensity IX
942 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.