Significant earthquakes of 2002

December 14, 2002 Earthquake: Yumne, Gansu Province, China

December 14, 2002 · M5.5 · 2 deaths · 13,380 houses destroyed

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Yumne, Gansu Province, China on December 14, 2002 at 13:27:29 UTC, 22 km below the surface. It killed 2 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
December 14, 2002
Time
13:27:29 UTC
Place
Yumne, Gansu Province, China
Magnitude
5.5 (Mw)
Focal depth
22 km (14 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
39.736° N, 97.443° E
Country
China

The toll

Deaths
2
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed
13,380

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.

Two people killed and 13,380 houses, 5 highways and 3 bridges damaged in the Yumen area. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent 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 5667.