M6.1 earthquake - 249 km NW of Nagqu, China

What happened

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 249 km NW of Nagqu, China on 2 Dec 1938, 22:14 UTC at a depth of 15 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Nagqu, about 250 km away in Tibet, China.