February 23, 128 Earthquake: Gangu, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Gangu, Gansu Province, China on February 23, 128.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 23, 128
- Place
- Gangu, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.700° N, 105.400° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
February 23, 128, Gangu, Gansu Province, 34.7 N, 105.4 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity VIII.
Earth quaked in Hanyang Prefecture. Buildings were wrecked and people were killed. The ground opened and water gushed out from the fissures. The earthquake also struck Luoyang.
Note: At that time, the seat of local government of Hanyang Prefecture was located south of the present-day Gangu County, with an administrative area covering the present-day Gangu, Tianshui, Jingning, Liieyang, Qjn'an and Qingshui counties, and parts of Longxi and Yuzhong. (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 19, 1718, Gansu Province, China
- July 1, 1879, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 1654, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- June 2, 1219, Ningxia, China
- September 12, 1306, Kaicheng, Ningxia, China
- September 2, 1765, Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China
- February 22, 186 BC, Gansu Province, China
- July 20, 1881, Gansu Province, China
- August 1, 1936, Gansu Province, China
- March 19, 734, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 2013, Dingxi, Min, Gansu, China
- January 14, 1885, Gansu Province, China
- November 21, 1748, Ningxia, China
- September 10, 1837, Gansu Province, China
- January 1634, Xihe, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 128The 100sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 7897.