January 5, 1987 Earthquake: Baicheng, S Xinjiang Province, China
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Baicheng, S Xinjiang Province, China on January 5, 1987 at 22:52:46 UTC, 17 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
- January 5, 1987
- Time
- 22:52:46 UTC
- Place
- Baicheng, S Xinjiang Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 41.964° N, 81.319° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 17, 1893, Xinjiang, China
- December 1, 2003, Zhaosu, Xinjiang, China
- February 11, 1969, Wushi, Xinjiang Province, China
- March 23, 2021, Aksu, Xingjiang, China
- 1716, Aksu, Balkhash, S Xinjiang, China
- December 25, 1893, Xinjiang, China
- July 20, 2007, Tekes, Xinjiang, China
- February 14, 2005, Wushi, Xinjiang Province, China
- January 24, 1987, Xingjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Province, Wushi, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1987The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1987Recent 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 5122.