February 3, 1996 Earthquake: Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China on February 3, 1996 at 11:14:20 UTC, 11 km below the surface. It killed 322 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
- February 3, 1996
- Time
- 11:14:20 UTC
- Place
- Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 11 km (7 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.291° N, 100.276° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 322
- Injuries
- 17,057
- Damage
- $506 million
- Houses destroyed
- 959,000
- Houses damaged
- 959,000
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.
At least 322 people killed, 3,925 seriously injured and 13,000 slightly injured. About 358,000 housing units collapsed and 654,000 others were damaged. More than 320,000 people were left homeless. Maximum intensity (IX) at Lijiang. (reference #1053)
$320 million damage, 309 deaths, 17,057 injuries, more than one million civil houses were damaged and many public infrastructures and facilities were broken. (reference #1270)
$506 million damage and 309 deaths. (reference #1250)
The earthquake in Li Jiann, Yunnan Province (at 19:14 pm February 3. 1996 Beijing time)
The geographical coordinates of epicenter were at 27.3 N, 100.2 E. The depth of focus was 10 kilometers and the magnitude was 7.0 R.S. The area with VI - IX intensity was 18,000 square kilometers, of which 1,225 square kilometers were the IX intensity area and 2,438 square kilometers
were the VI11 intensity area. Within 26 hours of the major earthquake there occurred 184 aftershocks, of which 18 were at magnitude 4.0- 4.9 R.S. By 25th February, 2,529 aftershocks had occurred, the strongest at magnitude 6 R.S.
About 1 million people suffered from the earthquake and more than 300,000 people suffered heavy losses. Of the 17,232 casualties, 322 people died and 3,925 people were seriously wounded, 350,000 houses fell down and 609,000 houses were completely destroyed. Grain loss exceeded 30 million kilos. The total direct loss was more than 4 billion yuan.
(above from reference #1268)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 16, 1925, Talifu, Yunnan Province, China
- May 25, 1751, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1515, Dali, Yunnan Province, China
- June 14, 1688, Yunnan Province, China
- February 23, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 27, 1948, Yunnan Province, China
- June 17, 1515, Heqing, Yunnan Province, China
- February 7, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- August 7, 1878, Yunnan Province, China
- July 21, 2003, Yunnan Province, China
- October 14, 1925, Yunnan Province, China
- August 1902, Yunnan Province, China
- November 19, 1998, Huaping, Lijiang, Ninglag, Sichuan Province, China
- August 31, 2013, Benzilan, Yunnan Province, China
- June 24, 2012, Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1996The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1996Recent 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 5430.