Reviewed by USGSIndia27y ago
M5.1 earthquake 10 km W of Pīpalkoti, India
Tuesday, April 6, 1999, 19:37:24 UTC · 30.414°N, 79.321°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 10 km W of Pīpalkoti, India on Tuesday, April 6, 1999, 19:37:24 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on March 30, 1999.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
90 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on April 18, 1999. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.923 km SSW of Pīpalkoti, India27y ago · 19 km S of this epicenter
- 4.922 km SSW of Pīpalkoti, India27y ago · 18 km S of this epicenter
- 4.722 km SW of Pīpalkoti, India27y ago · 18 km S of this epicenter
- 4.922 km SSW of Pīpalkoti, India27y ago · 18 km S of this epicenter
- 4.613 km SW of Pīpalkoti, India27y ago · 10 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 93 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.021 km SE of Dārchulā, NepalAugust 28, 1916 · 155 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.832 km E of Uttarkāshi, IndiaOctober 19, 1991 · 66 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8120 km E of Manāli, IndiaJanuary 19, 1975 · 242 km N of this epicenter
- 6.76 km SE of Jahāngīrpur, IndiaOctober 10, 1956 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7138 km NE of Joshīmath, IndiaMarch 6, 1966 · 166 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.637 km ESE of Dārchulā, NepalJune 27, 1966 · 173 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.69 km NNW of Pīpalkoti, IndiaMarch 28, 1999 · 13 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.588 km ENE of Joshīmath, IndiaOctober 14, 1911 · 116 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,442 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1991M7.0
Chamoli, Uttarkashi, New Delhi, Chandigarh
19 Oct 1991 · 66 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deaths$60 million damage
- 1980M6.5
Pithoragarh
29 Jul 1980 · 193 km away
200 deaths$245 million damage
- 1999M6.6
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal
28 Mar 1999 · 13 km away · intensity VIII
100 deaths$70 million damage
- 1966M6.3
Nepal-India
27 Jun 1966 · 176 km away · intensity VIII
80 deaths$1 million damage
- 1975M6.8
Kashmir: Kinnaur District
19 Jan 1975 · 243 km away
47 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1966M5.6
N
15 Aug 1966 · 195 km away
15 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.