M4.5 earthquake 230 km W of Kangding, China
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 230 km W of Kangding, China on Wed, Dec 27, 1978, 3:36 PM GMT+8 (07:36 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 221 km W of Kangding, China. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-27 07:36:55 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 29.993° N, 99.569° 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
- 17
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000y4w. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:29 AM UTC.