February 23, 1949 Earthquake: Xinjiang Province, China
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Xinjiang Province, China on February 23, 1949 at 16:08:11 UTC. It killed 21 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
- February 23, 1949
- Time
- 16:08:11 UTC
- Place
- Xinjiang Province, China
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 42.000° N, 84.000° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 21
- Injuries
- 17
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 1,010
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.
February 24, 1949, 00:08:11 local time, Northeast of Kuqa, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 42 N, 84 E, magnitude 7.25, intensity IX.
Kuqa: 3884 houses collapsed in all the county. 10
persons were killed, 17 were wounded. More than 390 sheep and 31 other domestic animals were killed. All mud houses, amounting to more than one thousand were razed around the Tongchang Reservoir of Kerxi Village. 8 persons and more than 70 domestic animals were killed. The ground cracked and black water poured out. Rocks fell
down, the mountains and roads were blocked up. Old houses in the county seat and Yaha collapsed in large numbers. Walls cracked everywhere. Some large buildings (mosque, hattery) also collapsed. Lattice walls enclosing the mosque and pillars collapsed completely. The flood land cracked for
10 m long and more than 10 em wide.
Xinhe: The pillar in front of the mosque was broken.
Civilian houses collapsed partly. Walls were cracked generally. The flood land fissured and water emerged. A few people were killed or wounded.
Sayram and Xayar: The flood land cracked from several to dozens of meters long, several to twenty centimeters wide. Water emerged from fissures. A few people and domestic animals were killed or wounded.
Luntai: More than 10 houses collaped, the rest had large
fissures. One person was killed. The Dina River was blocked at 2 places.
Baicheng: 3 houses collapsed. One domestic animal was killed.
Yanqi: 3 houses collapsed.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1949The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1949Recent 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 8023.