April 19, 1963 Earthquake: Qinghai Province, China
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Qinghai Province, China on April 19, 1963 at 07:35:21 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 19, 1963
- Time
- 07:35:21 UTC
- Place
- Qinghai Province, China
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Intensity
- VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 35.700° N, 97.000° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- USGS record
- The USGS’s page for this earthquake
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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 10, 1963, 15:35:21 local time, Near the Alan Lake, Qinghai Province, 35.7 N, 97 E, magnitude 7, intensity VIII.
According to investigations, the stricken area extended
from west of Zhamutuo in the east to east of Youtegou in the west, and from Manite Peak in the south to beyond Hongshuichuan in the north. People could hardly stand steady, nor could riders dismount, livestock fled in fright. All or most furnitures in tents were upset, some tents fell in. In Manite, Talahuxiong and Yikahalisa gullies, landslides occurred at more than 10 places, huge fallen rocks were seen everywhere. Some yaks had their legs broken. A ground fissure, 5-6 m long, 0.2 m wide and 0.6-0.7 m deep, occurred at Xiarituluhan.
Baron: Dust fell in houses. 10 cm wide cracks occurred
in a few houses. Two houses collapsed at wall corners. Sand walls along the riverbed crumbled about 1-2 m in width.
Xiangride: Cracks about 6 cm wide and 2 m long
occurred in the walls of a house.
Hohshan: Clouds of dust flew up, rocks rolled, the
biggest being about 1 m in diameter. Sheep fled in fright with three injured. The ground fissured.
Halonggou: Some rocks fell down from hills.
Around Sanchakou: People could hardly stand
steady. Rocks fell down from hills.
The shock was felt in Ulan, Yushu, Banma, etc.
(above from reference #3939)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #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 1963The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1963Recent 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 8068. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event iscgem17293645, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.