Reviewed by USGSMyanmar100y ago
M5.9 earthquake 69 km NNE of Mawlaik, Myanmar
Tuesday, March 15, 1927, 16:56:31 UTC · 24.219°N, 94.676°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 69 km NNE of Mawlaik, Myanmar on Tuesday, March 15, 1927, 16:56:31 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 10, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · 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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
139 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 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 9 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 · 260 km E of this epicenter
- 6.510 km S of Mokokchūng, IndiaMay 12, 1906 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 217 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.221 km SE of Wāngjing, IndiaApril 12, 1917 · 55 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.021 km W of Falam, MyanmarAugust 10, 1923 · 193 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.892 km WSW of Myitkyina, MyanmarNovember 21, 1926 · 212 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.721 km NE of Kolasib, IndiaOctober 23, 1926 · 189 km W of this epicenter
- 5.625 km ENE of Yairipok, IndiaAugust 18, 1926 · 73 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 402 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1839
Ava, Amarapura
23 Mar 1839 · 291 km away · intensity XI
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1869
Assam: Cachar,Silchar
10 Jan 1869 · 223 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1846M7.5
India
10 Dec 1846 · 260 km away
- 1714
Ava (Innwa)
4 Aug 1714 · 295 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.