July 25, 1969 Earthquake: Yangjiang County, Guangdong Province, China
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Yangjiang County, Guangdong Province, China on July 25, 1969 at 22:49:43 UTC, 5 km below the surface. It killed 3,000 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
- July 25, 1969
- Time
- 22:49:43 UTC
- Place
- Yangjiang County, Guangdong Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 22.317° N, 111.800° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 3,000
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- 10,762
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.
July 26, 1969, 06:49:43 (Beijing local time), Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, 22 deg 19 min N, 111 deg 48 min E, magnitude 6.4, intensity VIII, depth 5 km.
Disaster areas were mainly within the boundaries of Yangjiang County, the most afflicted being a tract 19 km from east to west and 10 km from north to south, west of the County seat, where were located more than ten brigades including Xitou, Zhigong, Chengcun and Pinggang communes. 10,762 houses collapsed, 35,965, were seriously struck, and 90,840 damaged in the whole county. Embankments were seriously destroyed at 58, cracked at 26, and collapsed at 2 localities. Along the coast and the rivers north of the Beijin Port occurred a large quantity of fissures with ejection of sand and water. Rocks burst and fell, for as much as 225 cubic meters at one place, in Longguanshan, Bungkengshan and other regions.
Xinyi: The earthquake produced heavy explosive
sounds. More than ten houses collapsed and 1,200
odd houses collapsed partly in the whole county.
Fengkai: People felt dizzy, walls slightly tilted,
roof-tiles rattled, and bamboo fences vibrated.
Huaiji: Ground shaking was felt in the streets; doors, windows and beds shook and rattled.
Xinzhong: Shaking was felt and wall clocks rocked.
Deqing: The earthquake gave forth sound as if a motor car was passing. Doors, windows and roof-tiles rattled, and water was disturbed in basins.
Zhaoqing: Many people felt the two shakings, the
second stronger than the first. Lamps swung, windows rattled; earlier wall cracks in 6 houses were widened.
Yunan: People felt rocking in E-W direction, roof-tiles rattled, mortar fell. More than 30 roof-tiles slid off an old ancestral temple at Hekou Village.
Zengcheng: People felt up-and-down jolts, and people upstairs felt as if a motor car was passing.
Gaohe: The shock was generally felt. Glass windows rattled, and poles in tile fields rocked slightly.
Panyu: Houses, trees rocked and wires swayed.
(above from reference #3939)
July 25, 1969, 22:49:41.3 UTC, 21.6 N, 111.9 E, magnitude 5.8, unconfirmed total of 3000 killed. (reference #45)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4492.