Significant earthquakes of 1291

August 25, 1291 Earthquake: Shaanxi Province, China

August 25, 1291 · M6.5 · 150 deaths

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Shaanxi Province, China on August 25, 1291. It killed 150 people.

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
August 25, 1291
Place
Shaanxi Province, China
Magnitude
6.5 (Ms)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
36.100° N, 111.500° E
Country
China

The toll

Deaths
150
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

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.

August 25, 1291, In and around Linfen, Shanxi Province, 36.1 N, 111.5 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity VIII.

8.26% of the civilian houses were destroyed and 150

people were killed in the Pingyang Lu (the seat of

the local government was located at the present-day

Linfen).

Quwo: Earthquake occurred, civilian houses were destroyed

and many people were killed. Earth quaked at Dah, Shaanxi Province in the same year (the date not recorded).

Note: At that time, the seat of the local government of

the Pingyang Lu was located at the present-day

Linfen. Xiangling, Fushan, Hongtong, Huoxian

and Fenxi counties were under its jurisdiction.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1291The 1200sRecent 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 491.