Significant earthquakes of 1935

December 18, 1935 Earthquake: Sichuan Province, China

December 18, 1935 · M6 · 100 deaths

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Sichuan Province, China on December 18, 1935 at 07:10:36 UTC. It killed 100 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 18, 1935
Time
07:10:36 UTC
Place
Sichuan Province, China
Magnitude
6 (Ms)
Intensity
VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
28.700° N, 103.600° E
Country
China
Region
East Asia

The toll

Deaths
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.

1935, December 18, 15:10:36 local time. Mabian, Sichuan Province, 28.7 N, 103.6 E, magnitude 6, intensity VIII.

In and around Manao, Fuxingchang, Silituo of Mabian County..and Xiaxi, Leipo, Xi'ning of Pingshan County: temples collapsed, furnaces for burning waste paper partially collapsed. Most watchtowers collapsed. 20-50% of the civilian houses collapsed. Wattled walls fell. Houses built of bamboo and wood tilted. Landslides widely occurred.

At Shimenkan, about 3 km to the west of Xinhua Town, weathered sandstone crumbled along the bedding. Quaternary sediments and the steep slopes of bedrock with abundant joints also collapsed. Rivers and roads were jammed. Fissures 0.3-1.5 m wide occurred on the hillside, river banks, fields and streets, sometimes with ejection of water.

More than 100 people were killed or injured.

Mabian: Many stone watchtowers fell, some houses

collapsed and the ground cracked open.

Leipo: Roof-tiles fell, 5-6 mud-wall thatched cottages

collapsed. Rocks rolled down under shaking.

Suijiang: Some walls of official and civilian houses fell.

Yibin: Roof-tiles fell. Chimneys collapsed and houses

tilted.

Zhaotong: Three-tenths of the thatched cottages collapsed

in Xiaopuzi and Youjjngwan. In the city, eaves tiles fell, roof trusses were shaken aslant and a few floors feil down.

Huize: Landslides blocked the Jinsha River. The ground fissured more than 1/3 m in width in Shigu Township.

Huili: Landslides occurred in Luche, dozens of families

suffered damage. The Jinsha River was jammed.

Leshan: One corner of the city wall collapsed.

Wutongqiao: Some brick walls collapsed, roof-tiles fell, and high waves surged on the river.

The shock was felt in Chengdu, Chongqing (city), Xindu, Guanghan, Shuangliu, Chongqing(county), Xinjin, Deyang, Wenjiang, Zigong, Dayi, Pixian, Guanxian, Luxian, Fushun, Neijiang, Rongchang, Longchang, Pingshan in Sichuan Province; Zhenxiong, Yanjin and Daguan in Yunnan Province.

(above from reference #3939)

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

  1. #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.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1935The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1935Recent 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 8010. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event iscgem904703, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.