November 30, 1606 Earthquake: Jianshui, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Jianshui, Yunnan Province, China on November 30, 1606. It killed 2,000 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
- November 30, 1606
- Place
- Jianshui, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.600° N, 102.800° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,000
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000)
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.
November 30, 1606, 23.6 N, 102.8 E, Jianshui, Yunnan Province, magnitude 6.5, intensity XIII-IX.
Jianshui: City walls, temples, official buildings and
civilian houses were almost completely razed. The
death toll was several thousands. People slept in the
open.
An earthquake occurred in Mile in the same month.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 4, 1970, Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China
- January 4, 1500, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- 1499, Yi Liang, Yunnan Province, China
- September 6, 1833, Yunnan Province, China
- December 16, 1887, Yunnan Province, China
- August 27, 1799, Yunnan Province, China
- December 30, 1763, Yunnan Province, China
- December 21, 1913, Yunnan Province, China
- November 24, 1814, Siping, Yunnan Province, China
- January 8, 1725, Songming, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- January 27, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
- April 6, 1940, Yunnan Province, China
- May 23, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
- 1560, Yunnan Province, China
- February 8, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1606The 1600sRecent 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 836.