August 23, 1985 Earthquake: Wuqua-Shufu, S Xinjiang, China
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Wuqua-Shufu, S Xinjiang, China on August 23, 1985 at 12:41:56 UTC, 7 km below the surface. It killed 71 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
- August 23, 1985
- Time
- 12:41:56 UTC
- Place
- Wuqua-Shufu, S Xinjiang, China
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 7 km (4 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.431° N, 75.224° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 71
- Injuries
- 162
- Damage
- $5 million
- Houses destroyed
- 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.
Reference #1250 lists $5 million damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 22, 1902, Xinjiang, Turkestan, China
- February 24, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- October 5, 2008, Nura, Kyrgyzstan
- 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
- May 10, 2017, Quzgun, Taxkorgan Tajik, Xinjiang, China
- November 1, 1896, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
- March 5, 1896, Xinjiang, China
- February 25, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- August 27, 1998, Jiashi, Southern Xinjiang, China
- March 1, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Jiashi County, Kashi, China
- August 29, 1963, Xinjiang, China
- November 25, 2016, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1985The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1985Recent 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 5072.