March 20, 2008 Earthquake: Xinjiang Province, China
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Xinjiang Province, China on March 20, 2008 at 22:32:57 UTC, 10 km below the surface.
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
- March 20, 2008
- Time
- 22:32:57 UTC
- Place
- Xinjiang Province, China
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 35.490° N, 81.467° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 2,200
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.
Four houses collapsed at Pulu and about 2,200
houses destroyed or damaged in Lop, Qira and Yutian. A
total of 46,594 people were displaced in Xinjiang.
Felt at Aqqan and Bostan. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2008The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2008Recent 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 7875.