M6.1 Earthquake 25 km NW of Dali, China — May 21, 2021
2021-05-21 13:48:37 UTC (2021-05-21) · approx. 8:48 PM UTC+7 local
Felt by 21 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.5 (violent).
On May 21, 2021 at 13:48 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 25 km NW of Dali, China, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 25.7274°, 100.0082°. The earthquake was reported felt by 21 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a orange alert level for this event, indicating regional impact possible. The nearest populated place is Shangjie (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 9.7 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 21 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
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 | 22,535,117 |
| MMI 4 | light | 4,866,232 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 736,572 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 303,804 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 4,321 |
Earthquake Details
100.0082°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake near Dali, China?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck 25 km NW of Dali, China on May 21, 2021 at 13:48 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. It was felt by 21 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 25.7274°, 100.0082°, which is 25 km NW of Dali, China. The nearest populated place is Shangjie (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.1 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000e532). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, May 21, 2021). M6.1 Earthquake 25 km NW of Dali, China — May 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000e532/