April 18, 1785 Earthquake: Huihuipu, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Huihuipu, Gansu Province, China on April 18, 1785. It killed 36 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
- April 18, 1785
- Place
- Huihuipu, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.900° N, 98.000° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 36
- 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.
April 14, 1785, 39.9 N, 98 E, magnitude 6, intensity VIII.
The stricken area extended from Huihuipu to Baiyanghe,
Huoshaogou, Chijinhu and Chijinpu. Huihuipu
suffered most seriously.
In Huihuipu, 97 households suffered destruction, 236
rooms of civilian houses collapsed; 27 of office
buildings, 16 of arsenals, 100 of military camps
and 45 of granaries collapsed. The city walls toppled
down discontinuously for 380 m long. 21
people were killed. In Baiyanghe, 97 households
suffered losses, 111 rooms in civilian houses collapsed, 14 people and 3 domestic animals were
killed. In Chijinhu, 35 households suffered losses,
97 rooms collapsed. In Huoshaogou, 19 households
suffered losses, 92 rooms collapsed. In
Chijinpu, 15 households suffered losses, 25 rooms in
civilian houses collapsed; 12 granaries and 15 military
camps collapsed, one person was killed.
5 forts between Huihuipu and Chijinpu were partly
destroyed. In Yumen, houses collapsed, killing some
people. Several quakes occurred from 5 p.m..
to 9 a.m. the next day.
Jiuquan: Battlements toppled down at several places,
and more than ten rooms of civilian houses collapsed.
Zhangye: The cracked city walls toppled down about
30 m long (no house was damaged).
The earthquake also struck Yongchang.
(above from reference #3939)
Reference #1052 lists April 18, 1785, Kansu Province, 39.9 N, 98 E, magnitude 6, intensity 7.5.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1785The 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 1480.