October 14, 1709 Earthquake: Ningxia, China

October 14, 1709, S of Zhongwei, Ningxia Autonomous Region, 37.4, 105.3 E, magnitude 7.5, intensity IX-X.

Zhongwei: Enclosing walls (The Great Wall) and 70-80% of city walls collapsed, walls of buildings were devastated. Half of the pagoda in the Anqing temple (located in the present-day Zhongning County) collapsed. Government buildings, civilian houses, the county offices, the Confucian Temple and schools were destroyed. In all the villages south of the river, the flood was thigh-deep on the

flat ground. Huge stones were pushed up to the surface, the largest measurable only with arms outstretched.

Well water was agitated to shoot up to 2 meters high. More than 2,000 people were killed, and those survived had to sleep in the open.

Jingyuan: More than 2,000 rooms of civilian houses and 20 mound platforms collapsed. The Great Wall fell some 5,000 meters long. 32 inhabitants were killed.

Jingning: Most city walls were destroyed.

Qingyang: Many walls collapsed.

Yinchuan: The top four stories of the Haibao Pagoda

collapsed, its red paint peeled off. The Wenchang pavilion was damaged.

Jingtai: Temples fell in.

Wuwei: The top ornament of Guxi Pagoda fell off.

Mingqin: Some walls collapsed.

Yongdeng: The earthquake occurring at Aba Ridge caused some people to be injured.

Zhengyuan: Some peasant houses were damaged. People and domestic animals were injured.

Haiyuan: In Xi'an Prefecture, springs were blocked up.

Baode: Houses shook, and most weak walls collapsed. The quake also struck Liangzhou, Xining, Jingning, Guyuan and Ningxia, some people were injured.

The recorded affected area included: Zhengning, Gulang, Yongchangin Gansu Province; Ledu in Qinghai Province; Xixiang, Yongshou, Pucheng, Liquan, Qianxian, Weinan, Wugong, Huxian, Zhouzhi, Ningshan and Chenggu in Shaanxi Province; Yonghe in Shanxi Province; Julu, Xingtai and Qiuxian in Hebei Province; Yuanyang, Yingyang and Zhongmou in Henan Province and Pucheng in Shandong Province. The earth quaked violently during 7 to 11 a.m. Thereafter, earthquakes continued for more than 50 days, more than 10 times or 2 to 3 times per day, and did not die out until a year later.

Note: In the same year, an earthquake occurred at Anxi with casualties. It was probably a separate one.

(above from reference #3939)