Reviewed by USGSChina5y ago
M5.1 earthquake in Southern Qinghai, China
Thursday, May 27, 2021, 13:06:07 UTC · 34.472°N, 99.106°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in Southern Qinghai, China on Thursday, May 27, 2021, 13:06:07 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on May 22, 2021.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 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
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
725 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
10 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on May 30, 2021. 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 68 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Southern Qinghai, ChinaJanuary 7, 1937 · 155 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6Qinghai-Sichuan border region, ChinaMarch 17, 1947 · 114 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Southern Qinghai, ChinaMay 21, 2021 · 80 km W of this epicenter
- 6.9233 km NNW of Qamdo, ChinaApril 13, 2010 · 277 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7Southern Qinghai, ChinaApril 19, 1963 · 230 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5153 km WSW of Xining, ChinaApril 26, 1990 · 198 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.5296 km NE of Qamdo, ChinaAugust 25, 1919 · 139 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3Southern Qinghai, ChinaJuly 26, 1935 · 222 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,548 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2010M6.9
Qinghai Province: Yushu
13 Apr 2010 · 277 km away
2,968 deaths$500 million damage
- 1738M6.5
Qinghai Province
1738 · 265 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
- 1990M6.9
Qinghai Province: Ganghe-Xinghai
26 Apr 1990 · 198 km away
126 deaths$58 million damage
- 1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 254 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
- 2021M7.3
Qinghai Province
21 May 2021 · 80 km away · intensity IX
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1982M5.5
Sichuan Province: Garze
15 Jun 1982 · 295 km away · intensity VII
10 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.