Reviewed by USGSChina100y ago
M5.8 earthquake 86 km WSW of Wuwei, China
Monday, May 23, 1927, 23:45:06 UTC · 37.590°N, 101.753°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 86 km WSW of Wuwei, China on Monday, May 23, 1927, 23:45:06 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on May 23, 1927.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- 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
9 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 18 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
825 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur 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 M5.6 on May 24, 1927. 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 6 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.731 km SSW of Wuwei, ChinaMay 22, 1927 · 66 km E of this epicenter
- 6.275 km WNW of Xining, ChinaApril 12, 1921 · 111 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.077 km SE of Wuwei, ChinaMay 23, 1927 · 141 km E of this epicenter
- 6.075 km WSW of Wuwei, ChinaMay 23, 1927 · 11 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.9170 km ENE of Jinchang, ChinaMarch 22, 1918 · 256 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.783 km E of Xining, ChinaMay 22, 1927 · 130 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 51,038 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1927M7.7
Gansu Province
22 May 1927 · 66 km away · intensity XI
40,912 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1921M6.2
Ningxia
12 Apr 1921 · 111 km away
10,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1819M5.8
Qinghai Province
24 Feb 1819 · 173 km away · intensity VII
126 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1888
Gansu Province
2 Nov 1888 · 223 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1893M5.5
Qinghai Province
1 Jun 1893 · 110 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1888M5.0
Qinghai Province
11 Mar 1888 · 128 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.