April 13, 1961 Earthquake: Xinjiang, China
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Xinjiang, China on April 13, 1961 at 16:34:39 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
- April 13, 1961
- Time
- 16:34:39 UTC
- Place
- Xinjiang, China
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.800° N, 77.700° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 53
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.
April 14, 1961, 00:34:39 local time, West of Bachu, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 39.8 N, 77.7 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 6.8, intensity IX.
Meizoseismal region: Yetelik, Wujianfang and Tupatang. All of the 24 better houses collapsed in Wujianfang. A section of the hilltop collapsed, blocking valleys. Dislocations up to 7-9 m in length, occurred both half way up, and at the foot of, the mountain. A fracture occurred in a road, producing a 50 cm drop of the road surface. Fissures occurred in large quantities at the foot of a hill, on the roads and by the wells. Some were over 100m in length and 5 cm in width.
Jiashi: Few walls cracked, and old walls fell at 3 places. Damage was heavier at the Jiashi Farm and the Mine Farm northeast of the county seat. Over 200 houses were damaged. A section of the main dam of the Xekar Reservoir
caved in, producing a drop of 50 cm. 165 fissures occurred at the top of the dam. All houses were seriously damaged. Roads caved in at several sections.
Bachu: Fissures occurred in houses. 2 walls fell, 22 houses collapsed in Seribuya and Donghetan, southwest of the county seat. Fissures occurred in a number of walls.
Kashi (Kaxgar): Larger fissures occurred in mud houses in the city. 7 shabby houses collapsed in Opal, and some houses cracked. The shock was felt in Pishan, Yopurga, Wushi, Kalpin, Shache, Awat, Yengisar, Yecheng, Artux, Wuqia, Yutian, Aksu, the Tarim Farm and Hotan.
(above from reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 22, 1902, Xinjiang, Turkestan, China
- February 24, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- June 21, 1898, Xinjiang, China
- March 19, 1996, Artux, Jiashi, Bachu, Kashi, S. Xinjiang, China
- January 21, 1997, Jiashi County, Southern Xinjiang, China
- April 11, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha, China
- November 1, 1896, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
- February 25, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- August 27, 1998, Jiashi, Southern Xinjiang, China
- January 22, 2024, Xinjiang Province, Kazakhstan, China
- March 1, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Jiashi County, Kashi, China
- January 19, 2020, Xinjiang Province, China
- May 4, 2003, Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China
- March 11, 2013, S, Xinjian Province, China
- August 11, 2011, Southern, Kashi, Xinjiang Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1961The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1961Recent 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 8059.