January 20, 1934 Earthquake: Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China

Name: January 20, 1934 Earthquake: Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China
Start: 1934-01-20
Location: Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China

January 20, 1934 · M6.3 · Deaths: few

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China on January 20, 1934 at 17:56:16 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: January 20, 1934
Time: 17:56:16 UTC
Place: Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China
Magnitude: 6.3 (Ms)
Intensity: 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 41.000° N, 108.800° E
Country: China

The toll

Deaths: Few (about 1 to 50)
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 21, 1934, 01:56:16 local time, Near Wuyuan, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 41 N, 108.8 E, magnitude 6.25, intensity VIII.

Countless houses were collapsed, mud walls were split. Many fissures, 14-17 cm in width and 20-30 m in length, occurred on the ground with emission of water or black mud. People suffered casualties. The shock was felt at Linhe, Anbei, Guyang, Baotou, Urad Fore Banner, Urad Mid-Back Banner, Dalad Back Banner, Hohhot, and Langshan.

(above from reference #3939)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1934 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1934 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 8006.