1879 Gansu earthquake

Last updated
1879 Gansu earthquake
China Gansu rel location map.svg
Bullseye1.png
China edcp relief location map.jpg
Bullseye1.png
Local dateJuly 1, 1879 (1879-07-01)
Magnitude8.0 Ms [1]
Epicenter 33°12′N104°42′E / 33.2°N 104.7°E / 33.2; 104.7 [1]
Areas affectedChina
Max. intensity XI (Extreme)
LandslidesMany
ForeshocksYes
Casualties22,000

The 1879 Gansu earthquake occurred at about 04:00 local time on 1 July. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.0 on the Ms scale and a maximum perceived intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicenter was in Wudu District in southern Gansu, close to the border with Sichuan. It caused widespread damage and killed an estimated 22,000 people.

Contents

Earthquake

The earthquake was preceded by foreshocks in the few days before the mainshock. [1]

The meizoseismal area extends 70 km in a SSW-NNE direction and is 30 km across. [2] The earthquake may have been caused by movement on the SSW-NNE trending Fanjiaba-Linjiang Fault. This fault correlates well with a 30 km long lineament seen on satellite images. [3] The similarly oriented Hanan-Daoqizi-Maopola fault zone has also been proposed as a likely candidate. [2]

The earthquake triggered many landslides and caused the formation of several natural dams 40 to 120 m in height. [4]

Damage

In Wudu city there were a total of 9,881 casualties, with many houses damaged and about half of the livestock killed. Large parts of the city walls were badly damaged and 60 temples were destroyed at Wanshou Hill. In Wenxian and the surrounding villages 10,792 people were killed. Many homes were destroyed and the city walls collapsed. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 Gulang earthquake</span> 1927 severe earthquake centered near Gulang, Gansu Province, China

The 1927 Gulang earthquake occurred at 06:32 a.m. on 23 May. This 7.6 magnitude event had an epicenter near Gulang, Gansu in the Republic of China. There were 40,912 deaths. It was felt up to 700 km (435 mi) away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 Sea of Japan earthquake</span> 1983 earthquake and tsunami centered off the coast of Akita Prefecture, Japan

The 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake occurred on May 26, 1983 at 11:59:57 local time. It had a magnitude of 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the Sea of Japan, about 100 km west of the coast of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Out of the 104 fatalities, all but four were killed by the resulting tsunami, which struck communities along the coast, especially Aomori and Akita Prefectures and the east coast of Noto Peninsula. Images of the tsunami hitting the fishing harbor of Wajima on Noto Peninsula were broadcast on TV. The waves exceeded 10 meters (33 ft) in some areas. Three of the fatalities were along the east coast of South Korea. The tsunami also hit Okushiri Island, the site of a more deadly tsunami 10 years later.

The 1925 Dali earthquake occurred at 14:42 UTC on 16 March. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.0 on the surface wave magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of at least IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It had an epicenter in the province of Yunnan in southern China and killed an estimated 5,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Shwebo earthquake</span> 6.8 magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar

The 2012 Shwebo earthquake occurred at 07:42 local time on 11 November in Myanmar. It had a magnitude of 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicenter was near the town of Male, 52 km NNE of the city of Shwebo, 64 km west of Mogok and 120 km north of Mandalay. Significant damage and possible casualties have been reported from near the epicenter, with up to 26 people dead and many more injured. Part of a bridge under construction fell into the Irrawaddy River near Shwebo and a gold mine collapsed at Sintku. An aftershock with a magnitude of 5.8 followed at 17:24 local time.

An earthquake occurred on 1 June 1786 in and around Kangding, in what is now China's Sichuan province. It had an estimated magnitude of about 7.75 and a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The initial quake killed 435 people. After an aftershock ten days later, a further 100,000 died when a landslide dam collapsed across the Dadu river.

The 1679 Sanhe-Pinggu earthquake was a major quake that struck the Zhili region in Qing China on the morning of September 2, 1679. It is the largest recorded surface rupture event to have occurred in the North China Plain. The epicenter was located approximately 50 km (31 mi) east of the Imperial Palace in Beijing.

The 2019 Cotabato earthquakes were an earthquake swarm which struck the province of Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines in October 2019. Three of these earthquakes were above 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale with a Mercalli intensity of VIII. More than 40 people have been reported dead or missing and nearly 800 were injured as a result of these events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haiyuan Fault</span> Intracontinental strike-slip fault in Tibet

The Haiyuan Fault is a major active intracontinental strike-slip (sinistral) fault in Central Asia.

The 1973 Luhuo earthquake struck near the town of Zhaggo in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China on February 6, 1973, with a magnitude of 7.6 Ms. The earthquake had a maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. It resulted in between 2,175 and 2,204 deaths and a further 2,743 injuries. Serious and widespread destruction occurred in Luhuo County.

The 1902 Turkestan earthquake devastated Xinjiang, China, near the Kyrgyzstan border. It occurred on August 22, 1902, at 03:00:22 with an epicenter in the Tien Shan mountains. The thrust earthquake measured 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and had a depth of 18 km (11 mi).

The 2021 Maduo earthquake, also known as the 5.22 earthquake struck Madoi County in Qinghai Province, China on 22 May at 02:04 local time. The earthquake had a moment magnitude and surface-wave magnitude of 7.4. Highway bridges, roads and walls collapsed as a result of the earthquake. According to an anonymous source, at least 20 people were killed, 300 were injured, and 13 were missing. Officials stated that there were no deaths but 19 people sustained minor injuries. It was the strongest in China since 2008. It was assigned a maximum intensity of X in Machali, Maduo County on the China seismic intensity scale and Modified Mercalli intensity scale. This earthquake was preceded by another unrelated earthquake that occurred 5 hours earlier in Yunnan.

The 1995 Menglian earthquake or 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake occurred on 12 July at 05:46:43 local time in the Myanmar–China border region. The earthquake had an epicenter on the Myanmar side of the border, located in the mountainous region of Shan State. It registered 7.3 on the Chinese surface wave magnitude scale (Ms ) and 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ). With a maximum Mercalli intensity assigned at VIII, the quake killed eleven people and left another 136 injured. Over 100,000 homes in both countries were destroyed and 42,000 seriously damaged. Some damage to structures were also reported in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand. The low death toll from this earthquake was attributed to an early warning issued prior to it happening. Precursor events including foreshocks and some seismic anomalies led to an evacuation of the area before the mainshock struck. It is thought to be one of the few successfully predicted earthquakes in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1695 Linfen earthquake</span> Earthquake in China

The 1695 Linfen earthquake struck Shanxi Province in North China, Qing dynasty on May 18. Occurring at a shallow depth within the continental crust, the surface-wave magnitude 7.8 earthquake had a maximum intensity of XI on the China seismic intensity scale and Mercalli intensity scale. This devastating earthquake affected over 120 counties across eight provinces of modern-day China. An estimated 52,600 people died in the earthquake, although the death toll may have been 176,365.

An earthquake occurred on June 19, 1718, in Tongwei County, Gansu Province, Qing dynasty, present-day China. The estimated surface wave magnitude (Ms ) 7.5 earthquake was designated a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), causing tremendous damage and killing 73,000 people.

The 1654 Tianshui earthquake occurred on July 21 in Tianshui, Gansu Province, Ming dynasty sometime between 21:00 and 23:00 local time. The event had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.0 and was assigned a maximum intensity of XI on the China seismic intensity scale. Resulting in extreme damage and affecting at least four provinces, the quake killed approximately 30,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1815 Pinglu earthquake</span> Earthquake in Shanxi, China

Western Henan and southern Shanxi in northern China were struck by an earthquake of estimated magnitude Ms6.8 on 23 October 1815. The epicentre was in Pinglu County in southernmost Shanxi, which was the worse affected area. It had a maximum felt intensity of IX (violent) on the Modified Mercalli scale. It caused the collapse of many houses and cave dwellings and led to the deaths of at least 13,000 people.

The 1923 Renda earthquake occurred on March 24 at 20:40 local time between the counties of Daofu and Luhuo in Sichuan, China. The estimated Ms 7.3 earthquake was assigned a maximum modified Mercalli intensity scale rating of X (Extreme). Severe damage occurred in Sichuan, killing an estimated 4,800 people.

The region of Ningxia was struck by a major earthquake on the morning of 14 October 1709. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 Ms and a maximum felt intensity of X (extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. The city of Zhongwei was badly damaged, including a section of the Great Wall. A total of 2,032 people were killed.

On 29 November, at 14:10 UTC, a magnitude 7.7 Mw earthquake struck off the southern coast of Taliabu Island Regency in North Maluku, Indonesia. At least 41 people were killed on the nearby islands and a tsunami was triggered. Several hundred homes, buildings and offices were damaged or destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Jishishan earthquake</span> Earthquake in Gansu, China

On 18 December 2023 at around 23:59:30 CST, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9–6.2 struck Jishishan County, in Gansu Province, China. The shallow thrust faulting earthquake struck a densely populated area on the border between the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. One hundred and fifty-one people died and 982 others were injured. This made it China's deadliest earthquake since the 2014 Ludian earthquake.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 National Geophysical Data Center. "Significant Earthquake" . Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 Hou, K.; Lei Z.; Wan F.; Li L. & Xiong Z. (2006). "Research on the 1879 South Wudu M8.0 Earthquake and Its Co-Seismic Fracture". Earthquake Research in China. 20 (1). Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  3. Feng, X.; Dong X.; Liu C. & Li J. (2005). "Discussion on the activity of Fanjiaba-Linjiang Fault and the South Wudu, Gansu Province M8 Earthquake of 1879". Seismology and Geology. 27 (1). Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. Tang, C.; Regngers N.; van Asch Th.W.J.; Yang Y.H. & Wang G.F. (2011). "Triggering conditions and depositional characteristics of a disastrous debris flow event in Zhouqu city, Gansu Province, northwestern China". Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 11 (11): 2903–2912. Bibcode:2011NHESS..11.2903T. doi: 10.5194/nhess-11-2903-2011 .