Reviewed by USGSChina91y ago
M5.8 earthquake 56 km SW of Leshan, China
Monday, April 27, 1936, 03:36:56 UTC · 29.262°N, 103.293°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 56 km SW of Leshan, China on Monday, April 27, 1936, 03:36:56 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on April 27, 1936.
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
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 15 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
208 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Yangtze 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on May 8, 1936. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
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:
- 7.042 km W of Xunchang, ChinaJuly 30, 1917 · 136 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 258 km W of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 81 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 264 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.0eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 25 km S of this epicenter
- 5.993 km SW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 27, 1936 · 62 km S of this epicenter
- 5.780 km SW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 11, 1926 · 197 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 24,281 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 189 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 156 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 130 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1893M6.8
Sichuan Province
29 Aug 1893 · 221 km away · intensity IX
288 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1792M6.0
Sichuan Province: N Of Qianning
7 Sep 1792 · 259 km away · intensity VIII
205 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1793M6.0
Sichuan Province: Near Qianning
15 May 1793 · 228 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.