May 19, 1738 Earthquake: Sichuan Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Sichuan Province, China on May 19, 1738.
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
- May 19, 1738
- Place
- Sichuan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- VII, very strong shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 33.200° N, 104.200° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
The toll
- Deaths
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- 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.
May 19, 1738, Nanping, Sichuan Province, 33.2 N, 104.2 E, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII.
Earthquake effects were especially grave in an area
from Chaimenguan, Huilongbao to Nanping. At Nanping, city walls cracked at more than ten places, gate towers were damaged. 381 battlements fell off. Police offices were damaged or tilted. At Huilongbao, 245 battlements fell off, and most government offices and civilian houses in various
villages were damaged. Rocks rolled down hillsides, some people were killed or injured. The shock also struck Songpan in Sichuan Province,
Wenxian in Gansu Province.
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #3939 Gu Gongxu, Zhou Wenfu, and Wang Renlong (eds.) (1989). Catalogue of Chinese Earthquakes (1831 B.C. - 1969 A.D.). Science Press, Beijing, China; English translation by Li Zengquan et al. provided through UNESCO, 872 pages.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 1, 1879, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 1654, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- August 25, 1933, Sichuan Province, China
- September 2, 1765, Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China
- February 22, 186 BC, Gansu Province, China
- July 20, 1881, Gansu Province, China
- August 1, 1936, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 2013, Dingxi, Min, Gansu, China
- September 10, 1837, Gansu Province, China
- January 1634, Xihe, Gansu Province, China
- August 8, 2017, Aba, Sichuan Province, China
- June 18, 1822, Gansu Province, China
- June 22, 1880, Wenxian, Gansu Province, China
- May 25, 2008, Sichuan Province, China
- August 5, 2008, Sichuan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1738The 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 7963.