December 1634 Earthquake: Lingtai, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Lingtai, Gansu Province, China in December 1634.
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 1634
- Place
- Lingtai, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 35.100° N, 107.600° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- 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 1634, Lingtai, Gansu Province, 35.1 N, 107.6 E,magnitude 5.5, intensity VII. Cave dwellings and cellars collapsed, countless people were injured. The shock also struck Tongchuan, Huangliang, Fengxiang and Fufeng in Shaanxi Province. (reference #3939)
December 1634, Kansu Province, 35.1 N, 107.7 E, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII. (reference #1052)
December 8, 1638, Lingtai, caves collapsed in the mountains incalculable number of victims. [probably describing the same earthquake in December 1634] (reference #1096)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 25, 1622, Pingliang, Longde, Ningxia, China
- June 2, 1219, Ningxia, China
- September 12, 1306, Kaicheng, Ningxia, China
- August 10, 1487, Lintong, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
- May 15, 1568, Xian, Shaanxi Province, China
- December 13, 600, Shaanxi Province, China
- March 19, 734, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- January 14, 1885, Gansu Province, China
- January 1001, Tsin, Shaanxi Province, China
- November 21, 1748, Ningxia, China
- July 1631, Ningxia, China
- September 28, 1704, Longxian, Shaanxi Province, China
- July 3, 1343, Nan Pi Tsin Nan, Hunan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1634The 1600sRecent earthquakes near here
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 930.