Reviewed by USGSChina50y ago
M5.0 earthquake 113 km WSW of Xichang, China
Monday, November 8, 1976, 23:27:42 UTC · 27.649°N, 101.141°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 113 km WSW of Xichang, China on Monday, November 8, 1976, 23:27:42 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on November 7, 1976.
- 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
362 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian 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 M4.8 on November 12, 1976. 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 99 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 285 km N of this epicenter
- 7.119 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaApril 14, 1955 · 264 km N of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 224 km S of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 270 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 201 km N of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Xunchang, ChinaMay 10, 1974 · 290 km E of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 269 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SE of Dadukou, ChinaSeptember 23, 1955 · 146 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 48 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 51,846 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 115 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1974M7.1
Yunnan And Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung
10 May 1974 · 289 km away
20,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 224 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 284 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 177 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 215 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.