Reviewed by USGSChina50y ago
M5.9 earthquake 101 km NE of Lijiang, China
Monday, December 13, 1976, 06:36:58 UTC · 27.395°N, 101.055°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 101 km NE of Lijiang, China on Monday, December 13, 1976, 06:36:58 UTC, at a depth of 17.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on November 6, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · ms
- Depth
- 17 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
356 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
17 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 M5.0 on December 14, 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 80 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 · 293 km N of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 194 km S of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 290 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 289 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SE of Dadukou, ChinaSeptember 23, 1955 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 164 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.5115 km NE of Lijiang, ChinaNovember 6, 1976 · 23 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 45 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 31,432 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 131 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 194 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 298 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 152 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 240 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 286 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.