September 14, 1969 Earthquake: Xinjiang Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Xinjiang Province, China on September 14, 1969 at 14:46:23 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
- September 14, 1969
- Time
- 14:46:23 UTC
- Place
- Xinjiang Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- VII, very strong shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.700° N, 74.800° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- Central Asia and Caucasus
- USGS record
- The USGS’s page for this earthquake
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 10
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.
September 14, 1969, 22:46:23 local time, West of Wuqia (Ulugqat), Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 39.7 N, 74.8 E, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII.
Ohsalur: More than ten newly-built houses were completely destroyed. Fissures occurred in all houses including an auditorium and offices of the commune. Two meters long and 2-3 cm wide fissures occurred in 13 houses at No.3 Production Team of the commune. Rocks rolled down the
hillside, the ground cracked 3-4 up to 10 cm wide. New springs emerged. Of the old springs, some increased in water volume, others dried up. The shock was felt in U1ugqat, Jiulangsu and Jigen.
(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.
- August 22, 1902, Xinjiang, Turkestan, China
- October 5, 2008, Nura, Kyrgyzstan
- August 23, 1985, Wuqua-Shufu, 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
- March 1, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Jiashi County, Kashi, China
- August 29, 1963, Xinjiang, China
- November 25, 2016, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
- January 19, 2020, Xinjiang Province, China
- April 15, 1955, Xinjiang Province, China
- April 17, 1990, Wuqia County, S Xinjiang, China
- February 13, 1983, Wuqua S, Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1969The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1969Recent 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 8089. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event iscgem804493, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.