Reviewed by USGSChina94y ago
M6.3 earthquake 50 km NNW of Lijiang, China
Wednesday, June 7, 1933, 11:46:13 UTC · 27.280°N, 100.001°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 50 km NNW of Lijiang, China on Wednesday, June 7, 1933, 11:46:13 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on December 2, 1930.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
37 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 78 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
255 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
35 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 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 292 km W of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 173 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 244 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 214 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 277 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3113 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarDecember 2, 1930 · 230 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.288 km NE of Myitkyina, MyanmarOctober 16, 1929 · 246 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 27,867 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 234 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 173 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 87 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1803M6.0
Yunnan Province
1 Feb 1803 · 196 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
23 Feb 1839 · 132 km away · intensity VIII
129 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
7 Feb 1839 · 132 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.