February 20, 2015 Earthquake: Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Yunnan Province, China on February 20, 2015 at 22:37:50 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
- February 20, 2015
- Time
- 22:37:50 UTC
- Place
- Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.010° N, 101.755° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- USGS record
- The USGS’s page for this earthquake
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- 276
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.
Over 10,000 people were affected by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Saturday.
Local authorities say the quake, at a depth of six kilometers, hit Mojiang Hani Autonomous County at 6:37 a.m.. No casualties have been reported. A total of 276 houses were damaged. Disaster-relief is underway and losses are being assessed. (reference #11174)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #11174 crienglish.com (2015). Thousands Affected by SW China Earthquake. Published February 22, 2015 09:53:12.
- #13456 U.S. Geological Survey (2017 to present). Earthquake Hazards Program, Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Comprehensive Catalog of Earthquake Events and Products.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 4, 1970, Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China
- December 16, 1887, Yunnan Province, China
- August 27, 1799, Yunnan Province, China
- November 30, 1606, Jianshui, Yunnan Province, China
- December 30, 1763, Yunnan Province, China
- December 21, 1913, Yunnan Province, China
- November 24, 1814, Siping, Yunnan Province, China
- January 27, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
- April 6, 1940, Yunnan Province, China
- May 23, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
- 1560, Yunnan Province, China
- February 1, 1942, Simao, Yunnan Province, China
- February 8, 1755, Yunnan Province, China
- November 3, 1761, Yunnan Province, China
- May 11, 1909, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 2015The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2015Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 10127. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event usc000ts0n, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.