8.0
1556 Shaanxi Earthquake
1556-01-23 — Huaxian, Shaanxi Province
The deadliest earthquake in all of recorded human history killed an estimated 830,000 people across China's Shaanxi Province and neighboring regions. Many victims lived in yaodongs, artificial caves carved into loess cliffs that collapsed en masse during the violent shaking. The earthquake destroyed an area spanning 840 kilometers across the Wei River valley, with ground fissures, landslides, and liquefaction devastating 97 counties in 10 provinces.
Magnitude
8
Depth
20 km
Shallow
Fatalities
830,000
Damage
Catastrophic — 97 counties destroyed
| Date | 1556-01-23 |
| Epicenter | 34.500°N, 109.700°E |
| Intensity | XI (Extreme) |
| Tsunami | No |