October 20, 1990 Earthquake: Tianzhu, Gansu Province, China
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Tianzhu, Gansu Province, China on October 20, 1990 at 08:07:27 UTC, 12 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
- October 20, 1990
- Time
- 08:07:27 UTC
- Place
- Tianzhu, Gansu Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 12 km (7 mi)
- Intensity
- 4 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.093° N, 103.781° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 7; 4 with its tsunami and other effects
- Injuries
- 92
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 87,000
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.
One person killed, two injured and damage in the Tianzhu area. Felt at Lanzhou. (reference #1053)
4 people died, 92 people injured, more than 87,000 houses destroyed. The total loss was about 150 million yuan. (reference #1268)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 16, 1920, Gansu Province, Shanxi Province, China
- May 22, 1927, Gansu Province, China
- October 14, 1709, Ningxia, China
- May 26, 1852, Ningxia, China
- October 26, 1440, Yongdeng, Gansu Province, China
- December 18, 2023, Jishishan, Gansu Province, China
- February 24, 1819, Qinghai Province, China
- July 21, 1995, Gansu, Yongdeng, Baiyin, Dingxi, Jingtai, China
- January 9, 2007, Gansu Province, China
- November 2, 1888, Gansu Province, China
- August 30, 1125, Gansu Province, China
- March 1, 138, Gansu Province, China
- March 11, 1888, Qinghai Province, China
- February 15, 1627, Ningxia, China
- April 14, 1982, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1990The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1990Recent 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 5262.