May 17, 2016 Earthquake: Shimen, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Shimen, Yunnan Province, China on May 17, 2016 at 17:05:17 UTC, 51 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
- May 17, 2016
- Time
- 17:05:17 UTC
- Place
- Shimen, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 51 km (32 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 26.085° N, 99.575° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Damage
- $60 million
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.
2 deaths, USD 60 million total damages. (reference #1250)
2 deaths, USD 60 million total damages. (reference #13215)
Note: another earthquake occurred at 17 May 2016 16:48:55.9 UTC at 26.048 N 99.4920 E, magnitude 4.9 Mb
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 16, 1925, Talifu, Yunnan Province, China
- July 13, 1652, Midu, Yunnan Province, China
- May 25, 1751, Yunnan Province, China
- February 3, 1996, Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
- October 23, 1515, Dali, Yunnan Province, China
- June 14, 1688, Yunnan Province, China
- March 13, 1577, Tengchong, Yunnan, China
- February 23, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 27, 1948, Yunnan Province, China
- February 7, 1839, Yunnan Province, China
- June 17, 1515, Heqing, Yunnan Province, China
- April 2, 1586, Weishan, Yunnan Province, China
- July 21, 2003, Yunnan Province, China
- October 14, 1925, Yunnan Province, China
- December 21, 1579, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 2016The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2016Recent 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 10610.