July 7, 1869 Earthquake: Kathmandu, Nepal
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Kathmandu, Nepal on July 7, 1869.
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 7, 1869
- Place
- Kathmandu, Nepal
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.700° N, 85.300° E
- Country
- Nepal
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Very many (over 1,000)
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 7, 1869, Nepal, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which would destroy towns or devastate districts:
the acceleration of the ground in these cases exceeds 5 feet per sec per sec. (reference #1216)
July 7, 1869, Nepal--Perry gives a tremendous shock at Katmandoo, which he says nearly entirely destroyed a large portion of the population being buried in ruins. (reference #4110)
July 7, 1869, India (Nepal), Katmandu, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
July 7, 1869, Kathmandu, Nepal, magnitude 6.5. (reference #1212)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 15, 1934, Bihar, Nepal, India
- April 25, 2015, Kathmandu, India, China, Bangladesh, Nepal
- August 20, 1988, Kathmandu, Bihar, Nepal-India
- August 26, 1833, Tibet, Bihar, China, Kathmandu, India, Nepal
- May 12, 2015, Dolakha, Nepal
- June 21, 2017, Dhading, Nepal
- November 27, 2016, Mount Ama Dablam, Charikharka, Nepal
- June 7, 1255, Kathmandu, Nepal
- May 23, 1866, Kathmandu, Nepal
More
Significant earthquakes of 1869The 1800sRecent 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 2153.