July 12, 1720 Earthquake: Hebei Province, China
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Hebei Province, China on July 12, 1720.
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 12, 1720
- Place
- Hebei Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.400° N, 115.500° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000); Some (about 51 to 100) with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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 12, 1720, Shacheng, Hebei Province, 40.4 N, 115.5 E, magnitude 6.75, intensity IX.
In Zhuolu and Huailai (former site) counties, temples collapsed, and almost all tile-roofed mud houses were destroyed in the villages. Shacheng sunk in. Sulphur gas was released from ground fissures in a village. There was loss of life and property.
Yanqing: Civilian houses were damaged, and some Xuanhua and Longguan: The losses were also serious.
Huairou: The northern city walls collapsed for 53 m long, and more than half of the battlements fell. The Minglun temple was destroyed, and innumerable civilian houses were wrecked. People had to stay in the open.
Miyun: The drum tower, the roof ridge and gable of the warehouse in front of the county office were destroyed. More than half of the civilian houses collapsed. People had to stay in the open.
Beijing: Some houses walls were collapsed, and some people were killed.
Tongxian: Gate towers were mostly damaged and Doumu Palace collapsed.
Yuxian: At Heishiling (25 km southeast of the county town), a master sergeant's office was destroyed.
Wanquan: The Confucian Temple was damaged.
Tianzhen: Gate towers and city walls mostly collapsed.
The recorded felt area was very large, including:
Chengde, Chicheng, Zunhua, Anci, Rongcheng; Laiyuan, Anguo, Cangxian, Shenxian, Jiaohe, Jize, Renqiu, Ningjin, Jingxian, Guangzong, Xingtai, Yongnian (former site), Darning in Hebel; Province; Yuci, Hunyuan, Guangling, Youyu, Yicheng in Shanxi Province; Yangwu, Neihuang in Henan Province; Zichuan, jiyang, Deping, Enxian, Yangxin, Zhanhua, Lingxian, Dezhou in Shandong Province.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1057, Beijing, China
- September 2, 1679, Hebei Province, China
- August 1289, Beijing, China
- June 28, 1626, Shanxi Province, China
- September 30, 1730, Beijing, China
- September 294, Beijing, China
- January 10, 1998, Shangyi-Zhangbei, Hebei, Northeastern, China
- October 6, 1628, Hebei Province, China
- October 18, 1989, Shanxi and Hebei Provinces, Datong, China
- December 31, 1956, Hebei Province, China
- September 8, 1337, Huailai, Hebei, China
- January 29, 1484, Beijing, China
- March 11, 1999, Zhangbei County, NE, China
- January 26, 1911, Hebei Province, China
- February 3, 1658, Hebei Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1720The 1700sRecent 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 1213.