January 23, 1981 Earthquake: Sichuan Province, China
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Sichuan Province, China on January 23, 1981 at 21:13:51 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 150 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 23, 1981
- Time
- 21:13:51 UTC
- Place
- Sichuan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 30.927° N, 101.098° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 150
- Injuries
- 489
- Damage
- $5 million
- Houses destroyed
- 2,992
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.
The earthquake in Dao Fu, Sichuan Province (January 23,1981). The geographical coordinates of epicenter were at 31.0 N and 101.1 E. The depth of focus was 12
kilometers. Magnitude was 6.9 on the Richter Scale and the intensity was more than VI11 degree. The effect area includes Cheng Du city, capital of Sichuan Province, which was 280 kilometers away from the epicenter. 150 people died, 109 people badly injured, 380 people slightly wounded, 2,992 houses collapsed, 1,620 livestock killed, 365 sets of agricultural machinery damaged, and loss of 577,300 kilos of grain. The total economic loss exceeded 32 million yuan.
(reference #1268)
150 people killed, 300 injured and extensive damage in the Dawu area. (reference #1053)
150 deaths. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 24, 1923, Sichuan Province, China
- December 8, 1816, Sichuan Province, China
- May 25, 1948, Sichuan Province, China
- September 27, 1811, E. of Ganze, Sichuan Province, China
- June 1, 1786, S of Kangding, Sichuan Province, China
- August 30, 1904, Sichuan Province, China
- August 29, 1893, Sichuan Province, China
- September 7, 1792, N of Qianning, Sichuan Province, China
- May 15, 1793, Near Qianning, Sichuan Province, China
- March 6, 1932, Sichuan Province, China
- August 24, 1930, Sichuan Province, China
- April 20, 2013, Longmen, Sichuan Province, China
- September 5, 2022, Sichuan Province, China
- April 14, 1955, Sichuan Province, China
- March 6, 1748, Sichuan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1981The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1981Recent 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 4911.