Reviewed by USGSMyanmar97y ago
M5.9 earthquake 74 km ENE of Myitkyina, Myanmar
Tuesday, November 4, 1930, 15:38:05 UTC · 25.635°N, 98.084°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 74 km ENE of Myitkyina, Myanmar on Tuesday, November 4, 1930, 15:38:05 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on September 25, 1930.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- 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
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 26 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
137 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
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 December 2, 1930. 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 24 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.362 km S of Bhamo, MyanmarFebruary 17, 1905 · 235 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 154 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 230 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 55 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 175 km W of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 157 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.288 km NE of Myitkyina, MyanmarOctober 16, 1929 · 30 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,148 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 230 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 205 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1803M6.0
Yunnan Province
1 Feb 1803 · 252 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
23 Feb 1839 · 189 km away · intensity VIII
129 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
7 Feb 1839 · 189 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1925M5.8
Yunnan Province
14 Oct 1925 · 244 km away · intensity VII
12 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.