August 24, 1979 Earthquake: Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China on August 24, 1979 at 16:59:30 UTC, 33 km below the surface.
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
- August 24, 1979
- Time
- 16:59:30 UTC
- Place
- Wu-Yuan, Nei Mongol, China
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 41.145° N, 108.129° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
- Injuries
- 104
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 400
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.
Reference #1053 lists earthquake on Aug 24, 1979, 16:59:30.8, magnitude 5.9 MS, 104 people injured and more than 400 houses collapsed in Wuyuan area.
About 20 buildings destroyed and/or damaged in a village. (reference #3959)
Reference #1250 lists earthquake on Aug 27, 1979, 2000 homeless, 400 houses destroyed, 41 dead, 2000 injured in Inner Mongolia's Wuyuan regions. [probably reports of July 9, 1979 and August 24, 1979 combined]
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1979The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1979Recent 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 4841.