The 1558 Shaanxi Earthquake is known to have caused up to 830.000 fatalities includin direct (shaking) and indirect (famine, disease) effects. Due to the historic records of extensive damange and losses, the magnitude was frequently estimated around 8.3. However, recent investigations on stratigraphy and fault characteristics indicate a either a generally smaller magnitude of as small as 7.5 due to the limited size of the relevant fault or a rupture spanning at least 2 different faults with a combined magnitude of up to 8.0.
Nonetheless, it is one of the most destructive historic earthquakes, which occurred in a densely populated region causing major landslides and surface scarps of ~8.
Date | Title | Region | Preferred Magnitude | Quality* |
---|---|---|---|---|
1303 Sep 25th | 1303 Hongdong Earthquake | Shaanxi | 7.5 | C |
1556 | 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake | Shaanxi | 8 | C |
1695 May 18th | 1695 Shaanxi Earthquake | Shaanxi | 7.8 | C |
Preferred Magnitude | 8.00 (7.50-8.30) |
---|---|
Epicenter | 34.500°N, 109.700°E |
Depth | unknown |
Tsunami | no/unknown |
Paleo-Event | no |
Quality of Evidence | C |
Share |
Tweet |
Year | Reference | Magnitude |
---|---|---|
2020 | Feng et al. (2020) | 8 (7.5-8) |
2014 | GHEA (GHEC v1.0) | 8.3 (8-8.3) |
This table lists some of the most relevant publications in estimating the moment magnitude of this earthquake. If you think there are other important or new publications, please get in contact.