M5.4 Earthquake 240 km NNE of Nagqu, China — March 5, 2024
2024-03-05 02:07:32 UTC (2024-03-05) · approx. 8:07 AM UTC+6 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.8 (very strong).
On March 5, 2024 at 02:07 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 240 km NNE of Nagqu, China, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 33.4841°, 93.0234°. The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 114 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 650, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Segong (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 213,403 |
| MMI 4 | light | 32,702 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 2,322 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 1,177 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 120 |
Earthquake Details
93.0234°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Nagqu, China?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 240 km NNE of Nagqu, China on March 5, 2024 at 02:07 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 33.4841°, 93.0234°, which is 240 km NNE of Nagqu, China. The nearest populated place is Segong (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000mgsv). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, March 5, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake 240 km NNE of Nagqu, China — March 5, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000mgsv/