M4.9 earthquake 262 km NW of Kangding, China
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 262 km NW of Kangding, China on Fri, Feb 16, 1973, 3:29 PM GMT+8 (07:29 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 244 km ENE of Qamdo, China. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-02-16 07:29:47 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 31.678° N, 100.018° E
- Region
- China
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9258 km NW of Kangding, China · 19571 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
- 5.1244 km ENE of Qamdo, China · 19543 days ago · 35 km deep · 38 km away
- 5.4276 km NW of Kangding, China · 19541 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00000je (also filed as iscgem763978, iscgemsup763978). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC.