Significant earthquakes of 1880

June 22, 1880 Earthquake: Wenxian, Gansu Province, China

June 22, 1880 · M5.5 · 8 deaths

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Wenxian, Gansu Province, China on June 22, 1880. It killed 8 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
June 22, 1880
Place
Wenxian, Gansu Province, China
Magnitude
5.5 (Ms)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
33.000° N, 104.600° E
Country
China

The toll

Deaths
8
Injuries
9
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

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.

The screen wall facing the gate of the Confucian

School in Duxishu Office collapsed. Three barns

collapsed. More than 70 battlements fell. The

guard wall at the half-built east city gate was

thrown down. 4 persons were killed and more than

50 injured. Walls collapsed in Shifang Township

15km from the city, 9 persons were wounded.

Landslides occurred at Mt. Guanjia, killing 4 persons.

Note: This was an aftershock of the 1879 Wudu-Wenxian

earthquake.

(above from reference #3939)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1880The 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 7890.