August 16, 1372 Earthquake: Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China on August 16, 1372. It killed 16 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 16, 1372
- Place
- Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 32.000° N, 118.800° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 16
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 16, 1372, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 32 N, 118.8 E, magnitude 4.75, intensity VI.
16 people and domestic animals were killed, as
rains and wind accompanied earthquakes.
Note: This was thought to be a thunder.
(above from reference #3939)
Reference #1052 lists earthquake on August 16, 1372, Kiangsu Province, 32 N, 118.8 E, magnitude 4.75, intensity VI.
Reference #1055 lists earthquake on August 16, 1372, China (Kiangsu), the imperial city Nankin, intensity II which corresponds to buildings may be unroofed or shattered and some may fall, the ground may be badly cracked in places and small landslips occur.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 1037, Taichou, Jiangsu Province, China
- July 9, 1979, Liyang, Jiangsu Province, China
- July 19, 1928, Sichuan Province, China
- July 20, 2012, Jiangsu Province, China
- August 4, 499, Jiangsu Province, China
- April 22, 1974, Jiangsu Province, China
- January 3, 1930, Jiangsu Province, China
- December 16, 1679, Jiangsu Province, China
- October 30, 1868, Anhui Province, China
- October 999, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
- November 18, 1829, Anhui Province, China
- January 1531, Jiangsu Province, China
- July 294, Shouxian, Anhui Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1372The 1300sRecent 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 558.