Reviewed by USGSChina53y ago
M5.0 earthquake 78 km WSW of Xunchang, China
Sunday, May 12, 1974, 02:50:26 UTC · 28.251°N, 103.944°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 78 km WSW of Xunchang, China on Sunday, May 12, 1974, 02:50:26 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on May 10, 1974.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 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
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
106 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
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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on June 5, 1974. 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 59 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.119 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaApril 14, 1955 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.042 km W of Xunchang, ChinaJuly 30, 1917 · 38 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Xunchang, ChinaMay 10, 1974 · 7 km E of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SE of Dadukou, ChinaSeptember 23, 1955 · 292 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 167 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 81 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 43,558 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 169 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1974M7.1
Yunnan And Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung
10 May 1974 · 7 km away
20,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 28 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 249 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1932M6.0
Sichuan Province
6 Mar 1932 · 293 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1933M5.0
Sichuan Province
20 Sep 1933 · 198 km away · intensity VI
200 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.