September 2, 1765 Earthquake: Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China on September 2, 1765. It killed 2,068 people.
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
- September 2, 1765
- Place
- Wushan, Gangu, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.800° N, 105.000° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,068
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- 74,748
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.
September 2, 1765, in and around Wushan and Gangu,
Gansu Province, 34.8 N, 105 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity IX.
Wushan: 508 villages were hit and 37,567 rooms
collapsed, 1,189 people and 247 head of cattle
were killed.
Gangu: 471 villages were hit and 28,718 rooms
collapsed, 781 people and 132 head of cattle
were killed.
Tongwei: 167 villages were hit and 8,463 rooms
collapsed, 98 people and 199 head of cattle were
killed.
Huining: Most city walls cracked.
The affected area on record was very large, including the
following places:
The shock struck Longxi, Dingxi, Zhangxian, Xihe,
Mlnxian, Ianshui, Qingshui and Lixian in varying
degrees without causing heavy losses.
The shock also struck Lanzhou, Fengxiang and Baoji.
(above from reference #3939)
Reference #1052 lists September 2, 1765, Kansu Province, 34.8 N, 105 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity 8.5.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 19, 1718, Gansu Province, China
- July 1, 1879, Gansu Province, China
- July 21, 1654, Tianshui, Gansu Province, China
- June 2, 1219, Ningxia, China
- September 12, 1306, Kaicheng, Ningxia, China
- February 22, 186 BC, Gansu Province, China
- July 20, 1881, 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
- November 13, 2003, Jone, Lintan, Minxian, Gansu Province, China
- 1850, Wusban, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1765The 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 1375.