M6.2 earthquake 33 km WSW of Zhaotong, China

Sunday, August 3, 2014, 08:30:13 UTC · 27.189°N, 103.409°E

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 33 km WSW of Zhaotong, China on Sunday, August 3, 2014, 08:30:13 UTC, at a depth of 12.0 km (shallow). USGS received 10 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). The USGS PAGER alert is red: high casualties and extensive damage are probable. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on October 23, 1995.

Magnitude: 6.2; Strong · mww
Depth: 12 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 10; Max intensity VII
Est. shaking: VIII; Severe (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Red; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

30 kilotons of TNT

That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

167 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

12 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

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

Place	Intensity	Reports	Distance
Chengdu, Sichuan, China	II · Weak	2	391 km
Zhaotong, Yunnan, China	VII · Very strong	1	36 km
Kunming, Yunnan, China	IV · Light	1	247 km
Ha Noi, Dong Bang Song Hong, Vietnam	III · Weak	1	725 km
Xichang, Sichuan, China	III · Weak	1	134 km
Chongqing, Chongqing, China	III · Weak	1	407 km
Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand	II · Weak	1	1520 km
Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand	II · Weak	1	1034 km

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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 100 km

USGS lists 13 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on August 3, 2014. 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 122 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 64 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 53,316 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 129 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1974M7.1
Yunnan And Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung
10 May 1974 · 131 km away
20,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1833M8.0
Yunnan Province
6 Sep 1833 · 225 km away · intensity XI
6,700 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
1713M6.8
Yunnan Province: S Of Xundian
26 Feb 1713 · 200 km away · intensity IX
2,100 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 107 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
2014M6.2
Yunnan: Ludian: Longtoushan, Zhaotong
3 Aug 2014 · 0 km away · intensity VII
615 deaths$5.0 billion damage

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

Nearby trackers