November 2, 1888 Earthquake: Gansu Province, China
An earthquake struck Gansu Province, China on November 2, 1888.
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
- November 2, 1888
- Place
- Gansu Province, China
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.100° N, 104.200° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 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.
November 2, 1888, Near Jingtai, Gansu Province, 37.1 N, 104.2 E, magnitude 6.25, intensity VIII.
City walls fell down at Lutangying, Suohanpu, Yonganpu villages. Many offices and civilian houses collapsed, countless people and domestic animals were killed.
In Lutangying Village, more than 2,400, households suffered losses with 32 casualties.
Yongdeng and the Hongcheng county seat pertaining; to Gaolan suffered relatively serious effects.
The tremor also hit Tianshui, Jingyuan and Lanzhou, of Gansu Province; Xining of Qinghai Provincej, Yongshou of Shaanxi Province.
Note: Lutangying is located beyond the Yellow River
110 km north of Jingyuan, Suohanpu 6 km southwest of Jingtai, Yong'anpu about 23 km east of Jingta.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 16, 1920, Gansu Province, Shanxi Province, China
- May 22, 1927, Gansu Province, China
- October 25, 1622, Pingliang, Longde, Ningxia, China
- October 14, 1709, Ningxia, China
- July 25, 1561, E of Zhongwei, Ningxia, China
- May 26, 1852, Ningxia, China
- October 26, 1440, Yongdeng, Gansu Province, China
- December 18, 2023, Jishishan, Gansu Province, China
- November 21, 1748, Ningxia, China
- July 21, 1995, Gansu, Yongdeng, Baiyin, Dingxi, Jingtai, China
- October 20, 1990, Tianzhu, Gansu Province, China
- January 9, 2007, Gansu Province, China
- August 30, 1125, Gansu Province, China
- February 15, 1627, Ningxia, China
- April 14, 1982, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1888The 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 2387.