February 22, 186 BC Earthquake: Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Gansu Province, China on February 22, 186 BC. It killed 760 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
- February 22, 186 BC
- Place
- Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 33.800° N, 105.600° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 760
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.
February 22, 186 B.C., Wudu, Gansu Province, 33.8 N, 105.6 E, magnitude 6-7. Landslides occurred in Wudu Circuit, and 760 persons were killed. The shocks lasted till the ninth
month. Earthquakes also struck Qjangdao Circuit (NW of the present-day Dangchang). Note: At that time, Wudu Circuit was situated near the present-day Chengxian County. (reference #3939)
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
- September 2, 1765, Wushan, Gangu, 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
- 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
More
Significant earthquakes of 186 BCThe 100s BCRecent 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 30.