August 22, 1936 Earthquake: Taiwan
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Taiwan on August 22, 1936 at 06:51:35 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
- August 22, 1936
- Time
- 06:51:35 UTC
- Place
- Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 22.300° N, 120.800° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
- Deaths
- 10
- Injuries
- 10
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 15
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.
August 22, 1936, 14:51:35 local time, North of Hengchun, Taiwan Province, 22.3 N, 120.8 E, magnitude 7.2. The luminous device of the lighthouse in Hengchun suffered damage. 15 civilian houses totally collapsed, 200 were partially destroyed. More than 10 people were wounded. (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 20, 1999, Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
- 1721, Tainan, Taiwan
- June 6, 1862, Tainan, Taiwan
- March 16, 1906, Jiayi, Taiwan
- December 16, 1941, Taiwan
- January 30, 1736, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 9, 1792, Jiayi, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 28, 1916, Taiwan
- November 5, 1904, Jiayi, Taiwan
- February 5, 2016, Tainan, Taiwan
- June 27, 1839, Jiayi, Taiwan
- January 18, 1964, Tainan, Taiwan
- October 22, 1951, Taiwan
- December 4, 1946, Taiwan
- January 4, 1917, Puli, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1936The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1936Recent 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 3581.