December 17, 1893 Earthquake: Xinjiang, China
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Xinjiang, China on December 17, 1893. It killed 90 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 17, 1893
- Place
- Xinjiang, China
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 41.700° N, 82.800° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 90
- Injuries
- 32
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 556
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.
December 1893, Kuqa, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 41.7 N, 82.8 E, magnitude 6.75, intensity IX.
Offices and civilian houses collapsed, many persons were killed or injured.
Heizi: Some old and decayed houses collapsed. 4-5 cm wide and 5-6 m long fissures occurred in wet ground.
Rocks rolled down from the Qiulitake Mountain.
Kuqa: Gate towers, comer towers, parapets, office buildings, barracks, temples and prisons were all toppled over, broken loose or tilted. Civilian dwellings suffered damage in Chengguan district and various villages, especially in Beixiang. Altogether 556 rooms of houses collapsed, killing 90 and injuring 32 inhabitants.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1893The 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 8115.