March 13, 1577 Earthquake: Tengchong, Yunnan, China
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Tengchong, Yunnan, China on March 13, 1577. It killed 170 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
- March 13, 1577
- Place
- Tengchong, Yunnan, China
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 25.000° N, 98.600° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 170
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
March 13, 1577, Tengchong, Yunnan Province, 25 N, 98.6 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity VIII. More than 1,300 rooms in temples, offices, prisons, and 70% of the civilian houses collapsed. Landslides and ejection of water occurred. More than 170 people were buried. More than 20 shocks occurred on the previous day (March 12). (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 16, 1925, Talifu, Yunnan Province, China
- July 13, 1652, Midu, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1515, Dali, Yunnan Province, China
- February 23, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 27, 1948, Yunnan Province, China
- February 7, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- March 10, 2011, Pingyuan, Yunnan Province, China
- April 2, 1586, Weishan, Yunnan Province, China
- December 21, 1579, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China
- August 1902, Yunnan Province, China
- August 21, 2008, Yunnan Province, China
- May 21, 2021, Yangbi, Yongping, Yunnan Province, China
- May 17, 2016, Shimen, Yunnan Province, China
- May 1906, Yunnan Province, China
- May 7, 1989, Gengma, Lancang, Menglian, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1577The 1500sRecent 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 768.