M6.8 earthquake near Kangding, Sichuan

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 131 km NW of Kangding, China on 23 Jan 1981, 21:13 UTC at a depth of 33 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 Kangding, about 132 km away in Sichuan, China.