This is a List of earthquakes in China, part of the series of lists of disasters in China. Earthquakes in the loess plateau where residents lived in yaodong caves tended to have big casualties, including the 1303 Hongdong and 1920 Haiyuan earthquakes. The most recent earthquake with a death toll of more than a thousand was the 2010 Yushu earthquake, which killed 2,968.
The collision of India with the rest of Asia has led to seismic activity throughout Western China, particularly in Tibet and the Yunnan, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces. However, these regions in comparison with Eastern China have a low population density. These areas also in general have poorer transport and building codes. Throughout China, poor building codes increases the damage and loss of life from earthquakes. The northern regions of Eastern China are not as seismically active as the western areas of the country, but earthquakes are still possible in this area.
Earthquake prediction was popular between 1966 and 1976, which overlapped with the Cultural Revolution. This reached its height with the successful prediction of the 1975 Haicheng earthquake. This earthquake had a prominent series of foreshocks and authorities who were eager to issue a warning. However very few earthquakes have both these criteria. The unpredictable and devastating 1976 Tangshan earthquake led to a reduction in the popularity of earthquake prediction in China.
| Date | Article | Coord | Location | Mag | Deaths | Description | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1920 BC | 35°N 102°W | ||||||||||
| 512-05-21 | 512 Shaanxi earthquake | 38.9°N 112.8°W | 7.5 | 5,310 (estimate) | |||||||
| 1038-01-09 | 38.4°N 112.92°W | 7.25 | 32,300 | ||||||||
| 1290-09-27 | 1290 Zhili earthquake[1] | 41.5°N 119.3°W | 6.8 | 100,000 | |||||||
| 1303-09-25 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake[2] | 36.3°N 111.7°W | 8.0 | 270,000 [3] | Taiyuan and Pingyang were leveled. | ||||||
| 1337-09-08 | 1337 Huailai earthquake[4] | 40.4°N 115.7°W | 6.5 | . | |||||||
| 1536-03-20 | 28.1°N 102.1°W | 7.5 | thousands | ||||||||
| 1556-01-23 | 8.0 | 100,000+[5] | Population decreased by additional 730,000 due to emigration, plagues, and famine. | ||||||||
| 1604-12-29 | 8.1 | Unknown | Largest earthquake in southern China | ||||||||
| 1605-07-13 | 7.5 | several thousand | |||||||||
| 1622-10-25 | 7.2 | 12,000 | |||||||||
| 1626-06-28 | 7.0 | >5,200 | |||||||||
| 1668-07-25 | 1668 Tancheng earthquake | 8.5 | 50,000 | Largest seismic event ever recorded in history in eastern China.[6] | |||||||
| 1679-09-02 | 8.0 | 45,500 | |||||||||
| 1695-05-18 | 36°N 111.5°W | 7.8 | 52,600 | ||||||||
| 1709-10-14 | 37.4°N 105.3°W | 7.5 | 2,032 | ||||||||
| 1718-06-19 | 35°N 105.2°W | 7.5 | 75,000 | ||||||||
| 1733-08-02 | 26.2°N 103.1°W | 7.75 | thousands | ||||||||
| 1738-12-23 | 33.3°N 96.6°W | 6.5 | 336 | ||||||||
| 1739-01-04 | 8.0 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| 1786-06-01 | 1786 Kangding-Luding earthquake[7] [8] | 29.9°N 102°W | 7.75 | 100,000+ | The earthquake triggered a landslide that formed an artificial mud dam which blocked the Dadu River. Ten days later, this dam was breached resulting in a catastrophic mudslide flooding event. | ||||||
| 1815-10-23 | 34.8°N 111.2°W | 6.8 | 13,000 | ||||||||
| 1830-11-10 | 36.4°N 114.2°W | 7.4 | 7,477 | ||||||||
| 1833-09-06 | 8.0 | 6,000 | |||||||||
| 1850-09-12 | 27.8°N 102.3°W | 7.6–7.9 | 20,650 | ||||||||
| 1870-04-11 | 30°N 99.1°W | 7.3 | 5,000 | ||||||||
| 1879-07-01 | 8.0 Ms | 22,000 | |||||||||
| 1902-08-22 | 7.7 | 2,500-20,000 | |||||||||
| 1906-12-22 | 8.0 | 280 | |||||||||
| 1912-12-21 | 6.8 | 942+ | |||||||||
| 1918-02-13 | 7.2 | 1,000+ | |||||||||
| 1920-12-16 | 7.8 ML | 265,000 [9] | |||||||||
| 1923-03-24 | 7.0 Ms | 4,800 | |||||||||
| 1925-03-16 | 7.0 Ms | 5,000 | |||||||||
| 1927-05-23 | 7.6 | 40,900 | |||||||||
| 1931-08-10 | 1931 Fuyun earthquake[10] | 8.0 | 10,000[11] | ||||||||
| 1932-12-25 | 7.6 Ms | 275 | |||||||||
| 1933-08-25 | 7.5 MS | 9,000 | |||||||||
| 1937-07-31 | 6.9 MS | 3,252+ | |||||||||
| 1950-08-15 | 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake[12] | 28.36°N 96.45°W | 8.6 | 4,000 | Largest seismic event ever recorded in China and largest known seismic event on land. 3,300 deaths in Chinese-claimed territories | ||||||
| 1952-08-18 | 7.5 | 54 | |||||||||
| 1955-04-14 | 1955 Kangding earthquake[13] | 31.295°N 100.75°W | 7.1 | ||||||||
| 1955-09-23 | 6.8 MS | 728 | |||||||||
| 1966-03-08 | 1966 Xingtai earthquake[14] | 37.0667°N 143°W | 6.8 Mw | 8,064 | |||||||
| 1969-07-26 | 6.4 | 3,000 | |||||||||
| 1970-01-04 | 7.1 | 15,621 | |||||||||
| 1973-02-06 | 31.398°N 100.581°W | Luhuo County, Sichuan | 7.5 MS | 2,175 | |||||||
| 1974-05-10 | 6.8 | 20,000[15] | |||||||||
| 1975-02-04 | 7.4 Mw | 2,041 | one of the few earthquakes to be successfully predicted throughout history[16] | ||||||||
| 1976-05-29 | 24.49°N 98.96°W | 6.9 MS 7.0 MS | 98 | Doublet earthquake | |||||||
| 1976-07-27 | 7.5 | 300,000+[17] | Deadliest earthquake in Chinese history. Among the top disasters in China by death toll. | ||||||||
| 1976-08-16 | 32.69°N 104.2°W | 7.2 MS | 41 | ||||||||
| 1981-01-23 | 6.8 ML | 150 | |||||||||
| 1988-11-06 | 7.6 7.2 | 939 | Occurred near the border with Shan State, Myanmar. Doublet earthquake | ||||||||
| 1990-04-26 | 7.0 MS | 126 | |||||||||
| 1996-02-03 | 7.0 MS | 309 | |||||||||
| 2000-01-14 | 5.9 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2001-02-23 | 2001 Sichuan earthquake[18] | 5.6 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2001-11-14 | 7.8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2003-02-24 | 6.3 | 261 | |||||||||
| 2003-12-01 | 42.905°N 80.515°W | 6.0 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2005-11-26 | 5.2 | 14 | |||||||||
| 2006-07-22 | 5.2 | 22 | Moderate damage | ||||||||
| 2008-05-12 | 7.9 | 87,587 | |||||||||
| 2008-08-21 | 6.0 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2008-08-30 | 5.7 | 41 | |||||||||
| 2008-10-06 | 29.45°N 90.187°W | 6.4 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2010-04-14 | 6.9 | 2,698 | 270 missing | ||||||||
| 2011-03-10 | 5.4 | 26 | |||||||||
| 2012-09-07 | 2012 Yunnan earthquakes | 5.6 | 81 | ||||||||
| 2013-03-03 | 2013 Yunnan earthquakes | 5.5 | 0 | 2,500 houses were damaged | |||||||
| 2013-04-20 | 6.9 | 193 | 24 missing[19] | ||||||||
| 2013-07-22 | 2013 Dingxi earthquake | 5.9 | 95 | Magnitude M(s)6.6 according to CENC. | |||||||
| 2013-08-31 | 2013 Yunnan earthquake | 5.8 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2014-05-24 | 5.6 | 0 | 9,412 homes were destroyed.[20] | ||||||||
| 2014-08-03 | 6.1 | 617 | 112 missing[21] | ||||||||
| 2017-08-08 | 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake | 33.2°N 103.82°W | Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan | 6.5 | 25 | Landslides | |||||
| 2019-06-17 | 2019 Sichuan earthquake | 28.405°N 104.957°W | Changning County, Sichuan | 5.8 | 13 | 20,000 houses were damaged | |||||
| 2020-01-19 | 2020 Kashgar earthquake | 39.835°N 77.108°W | Jiashi County, Xinjiang | 6.0 | 1 | 2 injured, 1,000 houses damaged | |||||
| 2020-05-18 | 2020 Qiaojia earthquake | 27.266°N 103.288°W | Qiaojia County, Yunnan | 5.1 | 4 | 24 injured, extensive damage | |||||
| 2021-05-21 | 2021 Dali earthquake | 25.761°N 100.008°W | Dali, Yunnan | 6.1 | 3 | 32 injured, 12,882 houses damaged | |||||
| 2021-05-22 | 2021 Maduo earthquake | 34.586°N 98.255°W | Madoi, Qinghai | 7.3 | 20 | 19 people injured (official), 20 dead 300 injured (unofficial) | |||||
| 2021-08-16 | 2021 Luxian earthquake | 29.194°N 105.374°W | Lu, Sichuan | 5.4 | 3 | 146 injured, 60k evacuated | |||||
| 2022-01-07 | 2022 Qinghai earthquake | 37.811°N 101.275°W | Menyuan, Qinghai | 6.6 | 0 | Limited damage, 9 injured | |||||
| 2022-06-01 | 2022 Ya'an earthquake | 30.416°N 102.989°W | Lushan County, Sichuan | 5.9 | 4 | ||||||
| 2022-09-05 | 2022 Luding earthquake | 29.726°N 102.279°W | Kangding, Sichuan | 6.6 | 93 | 30 missing, 423 injured | |||||
| 2023-12-18 | 2023 Jishishan earthquake | 35.743°N 102.827°W | Jishishan, Gansu | 5.9 | 137[22] | 12 missing, 982 injured, 734 Injured, many homes destroyed | |||||
| 2024-01-22 | 2024 Uqturpan earthquake | 41.269°N 78.649°W | Uqturpan County, Xinjiang | 7.0 | 3 | 74 injuries | |||||
| Note: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. | |||||||||||