March 14, 1927 Earthquake: Xundian, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Xundian, Yunnan Province, China on March 14, 1927 at 17:37:39 UTC.
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
- March 14, 1927
- Time
- 17:37:39 UTC
- Place
- Xundian, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 26.000° N, 103.000° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- 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.
March 15, 1927, 01:37:39 Beijing time, Xundian, Yunnan Province, 26 N, 103 E, magnitude 6, intensity VIII.
The foundation of the Juchuan Bridge was devastated. Steles collapsed under shaking. Temples, houses and many walls collapsed. The ground fissured everywhere. S0ome people were killed.
Songming: Mud walls collapsed by shaking, upper parts of gables fell, innumerable civilian houses were damaged, and the disaster was heavier in villages along the coast.
Yiliang: Individual shabby houses collapsed, and roof-tiles fell.
The shock was felt in Kunming and Oongshan.
(above from reference #3939)
Reference #130 lists March 14, 1927, 17:37:39 UTC, 26 N, 103 E.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1499, Yi Liang, Yunnan Province, China
- January 4, 1500, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- September 6, 1833, Yunnan Province, China
- September 9, 1680, Yunnan Province, China
- February 26, 1713, S of Xundian, Yunnan Province, China
- December 30, 1763, Yunnan Province, China
- August 3, 2014, Longtoushan, Zhaotong, Ludian, Yunnan, China
- January 8, 1725, Songming, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- January 27, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
- May 23, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1995, Wuding, Yunnan Province, China
- November 3, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
- August 30, 2008, Sichuan Province, China
- May 14, 1930, Yunnan Province, China
- September 15, 1750, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1927The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1927Recent 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 3310.