Reviewed by USGSChina46y ago
M6.8 earthquake 131 km NW of Kangding, China
Friday, January 23, 1981, 21:13:51 UTC · 30.927°N, 101.098°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 131 km NW of Kangding, China on Friday, January 23, 1981, 21:13:51 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
- 6.8
- Strong · ms
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IX
- Violent (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
474 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 67 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.4203 km NW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 6, 1973 · 72 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4101 km WNW of Jiangyou, ChinaAugust 25, 1933 · 269 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 112 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 54 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.119 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaApril 14, 1955 · 125 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 53 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 175 km S of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 299 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 22,888 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1933M7.4
Sichuan Province
25 Aug 1933 · 269 km away · intensity X
9,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 64 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 65 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 226 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 169 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 115 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.