M6.3 earthquake 170 km NNE of Shache, China
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 170 km NNE of Shache, China on Tue, Apr 4, 1961, 3:46 PM GMT+6 (09:46 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.0 151 km ENE of Kashgar, China. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1961-04-04 09:46:43 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 39.858° N, 77.910° E
- Region
- China
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 28.9% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.32
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8153 km ENE of Kashgar, China · 23918 days ago · 25 km deep · 17 km away
- 7.0151 km ENE of Kashgar, China · 23911 days ago · 35 km deep · 20 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem17290212. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC.