November 20, 1989 Earthquake: Jiangbei County, Sichuan Province, China
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Jiangbei County, Sichuan Province, China on November 20, 1989 at 03:21:07 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 4 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
- November 20, 1989
- Time
- 03:21:07 UTC
- Place
- Jiangbei County, Sichuan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 29.882° N, 106.804° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 161
- Damage
- $5 million
- Houses destroyed
- 5,000
- Houses damaged
- 53,000
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.
1989, Nov 20. Four people killed, 161 injured and at least 1,000 homes destroyed in Jiangbei County. (reference #1053)
1989, Nov 20. 4 killed, over 5000 homes destroyed and 53000 damaged; $5 million damage. (reference 31250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 10, 1856, Hubei Province, China
- February 14, 1896, Fushun, Sichuan Province, China
- September 15, 2021, Luxian (Lu), Sichuan Province, China
- August 8, 2009, Rongchang, Chongqing Province, China
- January 30, 2010, Moxi, Sichuan Province, China
- September 7, 2019, Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China
- December 24, 1854, Sichuan Province, China
- November 23, 2017, Wulong, Chongqing, China
- 1855, Sichuan Province, China
- December 18, 2019, Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1989The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1989Recent 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 5218.