Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

Deadly earthquake strikes northern China (October 1815)

When
1815
Where
Northern China
Episodes
3

An earthquake of estimated magnitude Ms6.8 struck northern China on 23 October 1815, affecting Western Henan and southern Shanxi. The epicentre was in Pinglu County, the worst affected area, causing widespread structural collapse and at least 13,000 deaths.

Episodes

  1. 23 October 1815 · Northern ChinaEarthquake Occurrence

    An estimated Ms6.8 earthquake struck northern China on 23 October 1815, affecting Western Henan and southern Shanxi.

  2. 23 October 1815 · Northern ChinaStructural Collapse

    Many houses, cave dwellings, and public structures collapsed due to the earthquake.

  3. 23 October 1815 · Northern ChinaCasualty Record

    At least 13,000 people died, with 8,677 recorded in Maojin alone.

Background and detail

Background. The event occurred in northern China, specifically impacting Western Henan and southern Shanxi. The seismic activity was estimated at magnitude Ms6.8. The epicentre was located in Pinglu County, which suffered the most severe damage. This region experienced significant destruction to infrastructure and human life.

Structural Damage. The earthquake caused the collapse of many houses and cave dwellings. Other structures were also affected, including office buildings, prisons, storehouses, and city walls. The destruction was widespread across the affected areas, particularly in the epicentre region.

Casualties. At least 13,000 people died as a result of the earthquake. In Maojin alone, 8,677 deaths were recorded. The high death toll reflects the severity of the structural collapses and the vulnerability of the population in the affected areas.

Sources

  1. 1815 Pinglu earthquake Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-26

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.