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China earthquakes in 1949

9 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more were located in China in 1949. The largest: M7.4 110 km ENE of Kuqa, China, Feb 23, 1949.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19481950

Map

Where every quake of 1949 was located in China. Select one for its page.

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Every quake of 1949

Magnitude 4.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 194915.567 km N of Kuqa, China
February 194927.4110 km ENE of Kuqa, China
March 194935.7124 km WNW of Dali, China
April 19490
May 194916.452 km E of Kuqa, China
June 194915.9Southern Qinghai, China
July 19490
August 194915.6202 km N of Rikaze, China
September 19490
October 19490
November 19490
December 19490

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

China nowWorldwide in 1949

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.