July 21, 1995 Earthquake: Gansu, Yongdeng, Baiyin, Dingxi, Jingtai, China
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Gansu, Yongdeng, Baiyin, Dingxi, Jingtai, China on July 21, 1995 at 22:44:04 UTC, 13 km below the surface. It killed 14 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
- July 21, 1995
- Time
- 22:44:04 UTC
- Place
- Gansu, Yongdeng, Baiyin, Dingxi, Jingtai, China
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 13 km (8 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.427° N, 103.123° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 14
- Injuries
- 60
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 4,500
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.
Fourteen people killed, at least 60 injured, 5,000
homeless, 4,500 houses destroyed and 5,000 houses
damaged in the Yongdeng area. Felt at Baiyin, Dingxi,
Jingtai, Lanzhou, Tianzhu and Wuwei. Also felt at
Xining, Qinghai. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 16, 1920, Gansu Province, Shanxi Province, China
- May 22, 1927, Gansu Province, China
- April 12, 1921, Ningxia, China
- October 26, 1440, Yongdeng, Gansu Province, China
- December 18, 2023, Jishishan, Gansu Province, China
- February 24, 1819, Qinghai Province, China
- October 20, 1990, Tianzhu, Gansu Province, China
- August 30, 1125, Gansu Province, China
- March 1, 138, Gansu Province, China
- March 11, 1888, Qinghai Province, China
- January 9, 2007, Gansu Province, China
- February 7, 1936, Gansu Province, China
- June 1, 1893, Qinghai Province, China
- November 2, 1888, Gansu Province, China
- February 193 BC, Lintao, Gansu Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1995The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1995Recent 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 5415.