Reviewed by USGSIndia90y ago
M6.5 earthquake 28 km SSW of Sarupathar, India
Tuesday, August 31, 1937, 14:15:11 UTC · 25.957°N, 96.731°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 28 km SSW of Sarupathar, India on Tuesday, August 31, 1937, 14:15:11 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on January 27, 1931.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · 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
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian 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 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 51 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 10 km S of this epicenter
- 7.362 km S of Bhamo, MyanmarFebruary 17, 1905 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 93 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 187 km E of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 223 km W of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 69 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 184 km E of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1906M5.3
Yunnan Province
May 1906 · 241 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 123 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1930M6.7
Yunnan Province:
21 Sep 1930 · 187 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1876M6.0
Yunnan Province
5 Aug 1876 · 275 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929M5.5
Htawgaw
19 Jan 1929 · 137 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929
Myitkyina
4 Jun 1929 · 96 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.