The 1976 Tangshan earthquake, also known as the Great Tangshan earthquake, was a natural disaster resulting from a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, People's Republic of China on 28 July 1976, at 3:42 in the morning. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, eighty-five percent of the buildings in Tangshan collapsed or were unusable, all services failed, and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. between 242,000 to 655,000 people died, making this one of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history. The lack of warning and foreshocks, in contrast to the earlier 1975 Haicheng earthquake, was a principal factor in the large number of casualties.
The 1969 Bohai earthquake occurred on July 18, 1969, at 13:24 local time. The epicenter was located in the Bohai Sea, off the coast of Shandong Province, China. The magnitude of this earthquake is 7.4. Areas of maximal intensity were mainly distributed around the estuary of the Yellow River. Ground cracks and sand boils were reported. The earthquake could be felt in Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, and Jiangsu. Ten people were reported dead. This earthquake caused ground surface subsidences of about 15.1 cm ~ 15.8 cm in the Yellow River Delta region. The mechanism of this earthquake was of dextral strike-slip faulting. Although it was located near the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone (郯庐断裂带), some researchers think that this earthquake was dominated by the seaward extending part of the Huanghekou-Liaocheng seismotectonic zone (黄河口-聊城地震构造带).
The 1948 Litang earthquake (1948年理塘地震) occurred on May 28, 1948 at 07:11 UTC. It was located near Litang, China. Now situated in the Sichuan Province, Litang County was then called Lihua (理化) County and belonged to the defunct Xikang Province. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2, or 7.3.
The 1992 Murindó earthquake occurred on October 18 at 15:12 with an epicenter in the Department of Chocó, northern Colombia. The shallow magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northwest of the town of Murindó, killing ten and injured more than a hundred. Thirty three municipalities were severely damaged.
The 2020 Tangshan earthquake was a magnitude 4.7-5.1 earthquake that hit Tangshan, Hebei, China on 12 July 2020, at 6:38 in the morning. It was geologically related to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and caused minor damage in the region.
The 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes, also known as the 11.6 earthquakes by the Chinese media were a pair of devastating seismic events which struck Lancang and Gengma counties, Yunnan, near the border with Shan State, Burma in the Shan Plateau. The pair of earthquakes occurred thirteen minutes apart with the first registering 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale and second measuring 7.2 on the surface wave magnitude scale. The two earthquakes were assigned their maximum Mercalli intensities of X (Extreme) and IX (Violent) respectively. At least 939 people were killed and more than 7,700 were injured in 20 counties across five prefectures in Yunnan, making it the worst in the country since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Both earthquakes resulted in US $270 million in damages and economical losses. Moderately large aftershocks continued to rock the region, causing additional casualties and damages. Much information about the earthquakes and its devastation were hidden by the Chinese government as the country was going through major political and cultural revolutions at the time.
The 1973 Luhuo earthquake struck near the town of Zhaggo in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China on February 6 with a magnitude of 7.6 . The earthquake had a maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, resulting in 2,199 deaths and a further 2,743 injuries in Sichuan. Serious and widespread destruction to villages was reported in Luhuo County as a result of the earthquake.
The Great Tancheng earthquake, also known as the Shandong earthquake was a major seismic event that occurred during the rule of the Qing Dynasty somewhere in Shandong Province on July 25 of the year 1668. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of Ms 8.5, making it the largest historical earthquake in Eastern China, and one of the largest in the world on land. The earthquake had cataclysmic implications to the region, shaking intensity was estimated to reach XII (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, the most destructive shaking an earthquake could achieve. An estimated 43,000 to 50,000 lives were lost in the earthquake, and its effects were widely felt. The epicenter may have been located between Juxian and Tancheng County, northeast of the prefecture-level city of Linyi in southern Shandong.
The 1739 Yinchuan–Pingluo earthquake rocked the northern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on January 3 with an epicenter in the prefecture-level city Shizuishan. The estimated magnitude 8.0 earthquake had a maximum intensity of XI on the Mercalli intensity scale, and killed about 50,000 residents and officials. It was widely felt, as far in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei provinces.
The 1902 Turkestan earthquake, also known as the Kashgar earthquake, Atushi earthquake, and Artux earthquake, was a devastating seismic event that struck the western part of Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in China, near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It occurred on August 22, 1902, at about 8:00 or 9:00 am local time. An estimated 5,650 to 20,000 people were killed, with many more injured. The earthquake measured Mw 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale. It is the most powerful earthquake in that region, and in Kyrgyzstan, along with the 1911 Kebin earthquake.
The 1973 Nemuro earthquake, also known as the Nemuro-Oki earthquake in scientific literature, occurred on June 17 at 11:55 local time. It stuck with an epicenter just off the Nemuro Peninsula in northern Hokkaidō, Japan. It measured 7.7 to 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ), 8.1 on the tsunami magnitude scale (Mt ) and 7.4 on the Japan Meteorological Agency magnitude scale (MJMA ).
The 2021 Maduo earthquake, also known as the 5.22 earthquake struck Madoi County in Qinghai Province, China on the morning of 22 May at 02:04 local time. The earthquake had a moment magnitude and surface-wave magnitude of 7.4, according to the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) and the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) respectively. The earthquake caused no deaths but 19 people sustained minor injuries. Highway bridges, roads and walls collapsed as a result of the earthquake. The earthquake was the strongest in China since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. It was assigned intensity X in Machali town, Maduo County on the China seismic intensity scale, making it one of the most intense earthquakes in recent memory.
The 2020 Kashgar earthquake, also known as the Jiashi earthquake occurred on 19 January 2020 at 21:27:56 China Standard Time in Xinjiang Province, China. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake had a moment magnitude of 6.0 and a surface wave magnitude of 6.4 according to the China Earthquake Network Center. It struck at a shallow depth of 5.6 km according to the USGS while the CENC has the figure at 16 km. Local emergency management agencies said the earthquake damaged more than 1,000 homes and businesses in the nearby populated towns and villages. One person is known to have died while two other children were injured.
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.
The 2021 Luxian earthquake was a damaging seismic event occurring in the early hours of September 16 at 04:33 China Standard Time. The surface wave magnitude (Ms ) 6.0 or moment magnitude (Mw ) 5.4 earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 7.5 km and was assigned a maximum intensity of VIII on the China seismic intensity scale—indicating severe shaking for 4000 square kilometers. Three people were killed and 146 injured when the earthquake struck Lu County, Luzhou, Sichuan Province. At least 36,800 buildings were affected, 7,800 of them seriously damaged or completely destroyed.
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 be 176,365.
The 1850 Xichang earthquake rocked Sichuan Province of the Qing dynasty on September 12. The earthquake which caused major damage in Xichang county had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.6–7.9 Mw and a surface wave magnitude of 7.5–7.7 Ms . An estimated 20,650 people died.
The 1626 Lingqiu earthquake had an epicenter in Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province during the Qing dynasty. The estimated surface wave magnitude (Ms ) 7.0 earthquake caused many buildings to collapse. Over 5,200 people were killed.
The 1604 Quanzhou earthquake was an extremely large seismic event that occurred in the Taiwan Strait, off the coast of Fujian Province, near Quanzhou during the Ming dynasty. According to modern-day calculations, the earthquake had a moment magnitude of 8.1 . It is unknown how many casualties resulted from the quake, but major damage was reported.
The 1955 Zheduotang earthquake, also known as the Kangding earthquake occurred on April 14 at 09:29:02 local time near the city of Kangding in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 7.0 and a surface wave magnitude of 7.1 and struck at a depth of 10 km. Severe damage occurred in Kangding with the loss of 70 lives.
