December 21, 1579 Earthquake: Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China on December 21, 1579. It killed 10 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
- December 21, 1579
- Place
- Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 25.100° N, 99.900° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 10
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
December 21, 1579, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, 25.1 N, 99.1 E, magnitude 5, intensity VI. Roof tiles of the Sanxian Shrine all pitched off to the ground. More than 10 persons were injured or killed. (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
- September 9, 1680, Yunnan Province, China
- May 25, 1751, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1515, Dali, Yunnan Province, China
- June 14, 1688, Yunnan Province, China
- March 13, 1577, Tengchong, Yunnan, China
- February 23, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 27, 1948, Yunnan Province, China
- February 7, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 17, 1515, Heqing, Yunnan Province, China
- March 10, 2011, Pingyuan, Yunnan Province, China
- April 2, 1586, Weishan, Yunnan Province, China
- July 21, 2003, Yunnan Province, China
- January 14, 2000, Yaoan County, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1579The 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 7942.