Reviewed by USGSIndia97y ago
M5.5 earthquake 41 km SE of Sarupathar, India
Friday, January 30, 1931, 03:32:33 UTC · 25.895°N, 97.045°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 41 km SE of Sarupathar, India on Friday, January 30, 1931, 03:32:33 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
- 5.5
- 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
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
31 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 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 26 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 · 28 km W of this epicenter
- 7.362 km S of Bhamo, MyanmarFebruary 17, 1905 · 246 km S of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 92 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 155 km E of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 255 km W of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 86 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 152 km E of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 106 km N 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 1,136 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 293 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
23 Feb 1839 · 286 km away · intensity VIII
129 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
7 Feb 1839 · 286 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1902M5.5
Yunnan Province
Aug 1902 · 289 km away · intensity VII
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1906M5.3
Yunnan Province
May 1906 · 213 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1930M6.7
Yunnan Province:
21 Sep 1930 · 155 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.