Significant earthquakes of 1896

November 1, 1896 Earthquake: Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China

November 1, 1896 · M6.6 · 7 deaths · 73 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China on November 1, 1896 at 05:01 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 7 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
November 1, 1896
Time
05:01 UTC
Place
Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
Magnitude
6.6 (Ms)
Focal depth
25 km (16 mi)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
39.700° N, 75.900° E
Country
China

The toll

Deaths
7
Injuries
5
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed
73
Houses damaged
73

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 1, 1896, 05:01 UTC, 39.7 N, 75.9 E, depth 25 km, magnitude 6.6, intensity VIII. Destruction, victims, foreshock of 1902 Kasghar earthquake. (reference #223)

November 1, 1896, Shufu, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 39.4 N, 75.8 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity VIII. 73 rooms of houses in various villages collapsed, killing 7 and injuring 5 persons. Another 182 rooms and 3 small temples in the Bulute mountains were toppled down, killing 51 domestic animals. (reference #3939)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1896The 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 2494.