January 7, 1906 Earthquake: Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Yunnan Province, China on January 7, 1906.
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
- January 7, 1906
- Place
- Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- VII, very strong shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 26.600° N, 104.100° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
January 7, 1906, Xuanwei, Yunnan Province, 26.6 N, 104.1 E, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII.
The west city gateway fell down. Most old houses
collapsed. A part of city walls, offices and civilian
houses also collapsed, and dozens of persons were killed.
The shocks was also felt in Fuyuan, Qujing and in Guizhou Province.
6 violent shocks occurred in 6 days, shaking continued
for more than 20 days.
(above from reference #3939)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #3939 Gu Gongxu, Zhou Wenfu, and Wang Renlong (eds.) (1989). Catalogue of Chinese Earthquakes (1831 B.C. - 1969 A.D.). Science Press, Beijing, China; English translation by Li Zengquan et al. provided through UNESCO, 872 pages.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 10, 1974, Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung, China
- September 6, 1833, Yunnan Province, China
- February 26, 1713, S of Xundian, Yunnan Province, China
- July 30, 1917, Yunnan Province, China
- August 3, 2014, Longtoushan, Zhaotong, Ludian, Yunnan, China
- January 8, 1725, Songming, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- September 7, 2012, Yiliang, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1995, Wuding, Yunnan Province, China
- May 14, 1930, Yunnan Province, China
- August 17, 1936, Yunnan Province, China
- April 18, 1985, Yunnan Province, China
- July 22, 2006, Yanjin, China
- August 10, 2004, Ludian, Yunnan Province, China
- November 14, 2003, Ludian, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China
- May 18, 2020, Qiaojia, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1906The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1906Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 7992.