August 17, 1478 Earthquake: Yanyuan, Sichuan Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Yanyuan, Sichuan Province, China on August 17, 1478.
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 17, 1478
- Place
- Yanyuan, Sichuan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.500° N, 101.600° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- 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.
August 17, 1478, Yanyuan, Sichuan Province, 27.5 N, 101.6 E, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII. Offices and houses collapsed. Many people and domestic animals were killed. Shock occurred on August 14. (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 12, 1850, Xichang, Sichuan, China
- August 3, 2014, Longtoushan, Zhaotong, Ludian, Yunnan, China
- February 3, 1996, Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
- April 2, 814, Xichang, Sichuan Province, China
- June 17, 1515, Heqing, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1995, Wuding, Yunnan Province, China
- August 7, 1878, Yunnan Province, China
- August 30, 2008, Sichuan Province, China
- May 14, 1930, Yunnan Province, China
- August 17, 1936, Yunnan Province, China
- July 21, 2003, Yunnan Province, China
- October 14, 1925, Yunnan Province, China
- November 19, 1998, Huaping, Lijiang, Ninglag, Sichuan Province, China
- June 24, 2012, Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, China
- May 18, 2020, Qiaojia, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1478The 1400sRecent 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 7915.