July 21, 1631 Earthquake: Lintao, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Lintao, Gansu Province, China on July 21, 1631.
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
- July 21, 1631
- Place
- Lintao, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 35.300° N, 104.300° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- 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.
July 21, 1631, in and around Lintao and Longxi, Gansu Province, 35.3 N, 104.3 E, magnitude 5, intensity VI. Houses were damaged. People and domestic animals were killed. (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 16, 1920, Gansu Province, Shanxi Province, China
- June 19, 1718, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 1654, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- June 2, 1219, Ningxia, China
- September 12, 1306, Kaicheng, Ningxia, China
- September 2, 1765, Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China
- July 20, 1881, Gansu Province, China
- October 26, 1440, Yongdeng, Gansu Province, China
- December 18, 2023, Jishishan, Gansu Province, China
- August 1, 1936, Gansu Province, China
- March 19, 734, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 2013, Dingxi, Min, Gansu, China
- January 14, 1885, Gansu Province, China
- September 10, 1837, Gansu Province, China
- January 1634, Xihe, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1631The 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 7950.