January 4, 1970 Earthquake: Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China on January 4, 1970 at 17:00:41 UTC, 31 km below the surface. It killed 15,621 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
- January 4, 1970
- Time
- 17:00:41 UTC
- Place
- Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 31 km (19 mi)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 24.157° N, 102.474° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 15,621
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
Earthquake on January 4, 1970, 17:00:40.2 UTC, 24.1 N, 102.5 E, magnitude 7.5 MS, depth 31 km, probable heavy damage. (reference #45)
Reference #3959 lists January 5, 1970, 01:00:37.0 Beijing time, 24.2 N, 102.7 E, magnitude 7.8, intensity X, depth 13 km, landslides, ground subsidence, concrete buildings destroyed, 70-90% of the houses destroyed.
Reference #1229 lists January 4, 1970, 17:00:40.2 UTC, 24.1 N, 102.5 E, depth 31 km, magnitude 7.2 mb, 7.6 MS.
Reference #1039 lists 10000 deaths and severe damage.
Reference #1185 lists earthquake on January 4, 1970, 17:00:40.2 UTC, 24.1 N, 102.5 E, magnitude 7.5 MS, felt at Hanoi.
Reference #10476 (v.11) lists January 4, 1970, 17:00:41.15 UTC, 24.157 N, 102.474 E, depth 15.2 km, magnitude 7.1 Mw
Reference #14034 lists 15,621 deaths
Reference #1250 lists 10000 deaths
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 4, 1500, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- 1499, Yi Liang, Yunnan Province, China
- September 6, 1833, Yunnan Province, China
- September 9, 1680, Yunnan Province, China
- February 26, 1713, S of Xundian, Yunnan Province, China
- August 27, 1799, Yunnan Province, China
- December 16, 1887, Yunnan Province, China
- November 30, 1606, Jianshui, Yunnan Province, China
- December 30, 1763, Yunnan Province, China
- December 21, 1913, Yunnan Province, China
- November 24, 1814, Siping, Yunnan Province, China
- January 8, 1725, Songming, Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China
- January 27, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
- April 6, 1940, Yunnan Province, China
- May 23, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1970The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1970Recent 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 4513.