April 11, 1997 Earthquake: S. Xinjiang, Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha, China
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck S. Xinjiang, Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha, China on April 11, 1997 at 05:34:42 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 9 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
- April 11, 1997
- Time
- 05:34:42 UTC
- Place
- S. Xinjiang, Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha, China
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.527° N, 76.941° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 9
- Injuries
- 89
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- 2,000
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 9 people killed, 89 injured, 100,000 homeless, thousands of buildings destroyed and 11,000 livestock killed in Jiashi County. Felt in Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha and Yuehpuhu Counties. This is the largest earthquake to date in a swarm of large strike-slip and normal faulting events which began on January 21, 1997. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 22, 1902, Xinjiang, Turkestan, China
- February 24, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- August 23, 1985, Wuqua-Shufu, S Xinjiang, China
- June 21, 1898, Xinjiang, China
- March 19, 1996, Artux, Jiashi, Bachu, Kashi, S. Xinjiang, China
- January 21, 1997, Jiashi County, Southern Xinjiang, China
- November 1, 1896, Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
- March 5, 1896, Xinjiang, China
- February 25, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- August 27, 1998, Jiashi, Southern Xinjiang, China
- March 1, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Jiashi County, Kashi, China
- May 4, 2003, Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China
- January 19, 2020, Xinjiang Province, China
- April 6, 1997, S. Xinjiang, China
- April 5, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Jiashi County, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent 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 5457.