Reviewed by USGSChina101y ago
M5.7 earthquake 80 km SW of Kangding, China
Wednesday, August 11, 1926, 05:47:39 UTC · 29.559°N, 101.293°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 80 km SW of Kangding, China on Wednesday, August 11, 1926, 05:47:39 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on October 20, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- 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
6 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 13 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
398 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Yangtze 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 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 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 141 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 66 km W of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 176 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 142 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 32,702 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 219 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 218 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 212 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 227 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 256 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 82 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.