Reviewed by USGSChina54y ago
M5.8 earthquake 227 km NW of Kangding, China
Wednesday, February 7, 1973, 16:06:25 UTC · 31.460°N, 100.286°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 227 km NW of Kangding, China on Wednesday, February 7, 1973, 16:06:25 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on February 6, 1973.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- 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
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
466 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
33 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 M4.9 on February 21, 1973. 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 49 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6Qinghai-Sichuan border region, ChinaMarch 17, 1947 · 239 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4203 km NW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 6, 1973 · 29 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 149 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 92 km S of this epicenter
- 7.119 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaApril 14, 1955 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 48 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 130 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 13,238 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 68 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 40 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 204 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 219 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 27 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 253 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.