M5.0 earthquake in Southern Qinghai, China

Thursday, June 3, 2021, 05:55:18 UTC · 34.693°N, 97.805°E

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in Southern Qinghai, China on Thursday, June 3, 2021, 05:55:18 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on May 30, 2021.

Magnitude: 5.0; Moderate · mww
Depth: 10 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 1; Max intensity VIII
Est. shaking: VI; Strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

477 tons of TNT

That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

732 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

1 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available 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

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.

IV · Light shaking: 7,800 people
III · Weak shaking: 142,000 people
II · Weak shaking: 317,000 people

Estimated shaking in nearby towns

HeihePopulation 0IV · Light
HuanghePopulation 0IV · Light
ZhalinghuPopulation 0IV · Light
MachaliPopulation 0III · Weak
QingshuihePopulation 0III · Weak
HuashixiaPopulation 0III · Weak
ChangmahePopulation 0III · Weak
YouyunPopulation 0III · Weak

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on June 15, 2021. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 93 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,538 recorded deaths. The most severe:

2010M6.9
Qinghai Province: Yushu
13 Apr 2010 · 206 km away
2,968 deaths$500 million damage
1738M6.5
Qinghai Province
1738 · 191 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
1990M6.9
Qinghai Province: Ganghe-Xinghai
26 Apr 1990 · 264 km away
126 deaths$58 million damage
1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 202 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
2021M7.3
Qinghai Province
21 May 2021 · 42 km away · intensity IX
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
2020M5.4
Qinghai Province
1 Apr 2020 · 202 km away
$11 million damage

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers