January 29, 1484 Earthquake: Beijing, China
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Beijing, China on January 29, 1484.
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
- January 29, 1484
- Place
- Beijing, China
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.500° N, 116.500° 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.
January 29, 1484, in and around Juyong Pass, Beijing, 40.5 N, 116.5 E, magnitude 6.75, intensity VIII-IX.
Earthquake occurred at Tianshou Hill (the Ming Tombs), Miyun, Gubeikou and Juyong Pass. Uncounted city walls, mounds, posts and forts were collapsed. Houses were destroyed. Some people were killed.
Xuanhua: Ground cracked and sand gushed.
Shocks also struck Beijing, Datong, Lulong, Wen'an and Liaodong (the seat of local government of Liaodong was located at the present-day Liaoyang).
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 27, 1976, Tangshan, NE, China
- 1057, Beijing, China
- September 2, 1679, Hebei Province, China
- August 1289, Beijing, China
- September 30, 1730, Beijing, China
- September 294, Beijing, China
- January 10, 1998, Shangyi-Zhangbei, Hebei, Northeastern, China
- October 6, 1628, Hebei Province, China
- September 8, 1337, Huailai, Hebei, China
- December 31, 1956, Hebei Province, China
- July 12, 1720, Hebei Province, China
- March 1621, Hebei Province, China
- February 3, 1658, Hebei Province, China
- March 11, 1999, Zhangbei County, NE, China
- July 28, 1976, Tangshan, NE, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1484The 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 7916.