December 9, 1882 Earthquake: Zhanghua, Taiwan
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Zhanghua, Taiwan on December 9, 1882. 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
- December 9, 1882
- Place
- Zhanghua, Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 23.800° N, 120.500° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 3
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 40
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.
1882, December 9. S of Zhanghua, Taiwan Prov., 23.8 N, 120.5 E, magnitude 6.25, intensity VII-VIII.
Zhanghua: More than 20 civilian houses fell down.
A battery at the west city gate was destroyed.
City walls at the south city gate cracked for more
than 30 m long. Five persons were killed.
Gaoxiong: More than 10 civilian houses fell down.
Some offices and prisons also toppled down. The
wasteland at the east township fissured. Two or three persons were injured.
Jiayi: 10 rooms in civilian houses collapsed. Two or
three persons were killed or injured.
Hengchun: City walls were destroyed for a length of
more than 70 m. A 6-m-long crack occurred between
the east and south city gates. Another three
cracks of about 40 m occurred between the west and
north city gates. Besides, there were about 92-m long
walls suffering from damage and plaster fell
from an about 176-m-long section.
Anping of Tainan City: Several offices collapsed.
Fissures occurred in all batteries, walls and barracks.
The earthquake also struck Xinzhu, Danshui, Taibei,
Yilan of Taiwan Province; Fuzhou ard the
coastal region of Fujian Province.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 22, 1782, Tainan, Taiwan
- April 20, 1935, Mialoi, Taiwan
- July 16, 1935, Xiinzhu, Taiwan
- September 20, 1999, Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
- June 6, 1862, Tainan, Taiwan
- 1721, Tainan, Taiwan
- March 16, 1906, Jiayi, Taiwan
- December 3, 1848, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- February 1845, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- December 16, 1941, Taiwan
- January 30, 1736, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 9, 1792, Jiayi, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 28, 1916, Taiwan
- November 5, 1904, Jiayi, Taiwan
- June 27, 1839, Jiayi, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1882The 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 9940.