26 BC Earthquake: Yibin, Sichuan, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Yibin, Sichuan, China in 26 BC. It killed 13 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
- 26 BC
- Place
- Yibin, Sichuan, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 28.800° N, 104.600° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 13
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
Earth quaked in Jianwei Prefecture. A landslide
dammed the Baijiang and the Juanjiang rivers,
causing back flows of the river water. The city
was destroyed and 13 persons were killed. Earthquakes
lasted for 31 days with 124 shocks.
Note: The seat of local government of Jianwei Prefecture was the present-day Yibin City. (reference #3939)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 10, 1974, Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung, China
- July 30, 1917, Yunnan Province, China
- December 18, 1935, Sichuan Province, China
- September 7, 2012, Yiliang, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China
- February 14, 1896, Fushun, Sichuan Province, China
- July 22, 2006, Yanjin, China
- June 17, 2019, Yibin, Sichuan, China
- November 8, 1905, Sichuan Province, China
- November 14, 2003, Ludian, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China
- August 10, 2004, Ludian, Yunnan Province, China
- September 15, 2021, Luxian (Lu), Sichuan Province, China
- October 8, 1948, Guizhou Province, China
- February 25, 2019, Rongxian, Sichuan Province, China
- August 8, 2009, Rongchang, Chongqing Province, China
- September 7, 2019, Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 26 BC99 to 1 BCRecent earthquakes near here
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 36.