Reviewed by USGSChina92y ago
M5.7 earthquake in Qinghai-Sichuan border region, China
Friday, July 26, 1935, 09:10:04 UTC · 32.977°N, 100.895°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in Qinghai-Sichuan border region, China on Friday, July 26, 1935, 09:10:04 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on August 25, 1933.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- 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
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
626 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on July 26, 1935. 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 11 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.4101 km WNW of Jiangyou, ChinaAugust 25, 1933 · 284 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 188 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 217 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5296 km NE of Qamdo, ChinaAugust 25, 1919 · 166 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 295 km S of this epicenter
- 5.9132 km SW of Linxia Chengguanzhen, ChinaDecember 6, 1931 · 241 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.8Qinghai-Sichuan border region, ChinaApril 28, 1930 · 85 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 18,532 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1933M7.4
Sichuan Province
25 Aug 1933 · 284 km away · intensity X
9,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 165 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 176 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 153 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1904M6.0
Sichuan Province
30 Aug 1904 · 198 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1893M6.8
Sichuan Province
29 Aug 1893 · 281 km away · intensity IX
288 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.