World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 2008
Historic Earthquake
2008 Sichuan Earthquake
12 May 2008 · Sichuan Province · People's Republic of China
On 12 May 2008 at 06:28 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck People's Republic of China (Sichuan Province), at a depth of 10 km. It occurred on the Eurasian Plate, 311 km from its boundary with the Yangtze Plate (continental rift). It killed at least 87,652 people and injured 374,171. 5,360,000 homes were destroyed. It is the 7th deadliest of the earthquakes recorded since 1900.
- Date
- 12 May 2008
- Time
- 06:28 UTC
- Magnitude
- 7.9
- Depth
- 10 km
- Maximum Intensity
- IX (Mercalli)
- Deaths
- 87,652
- Injuries
- 374,171
- Homes Destroyed
- 5,360,000
- Homes Damaged
- 21,000,000
- Estimated Damage
- 86.0 billion US dollars
- Tsunami
- Yes
- Plate
- Eurasian Plate
- Country
- People's Republic of China
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 20222022 Luding Earthquake · M 6.6118 deaths
- 20172017 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake · M 6.529 deaths
- 20132013 Lushan Earthquake · M 6.6196 deaths
- 19811981 Dawu Earthquake · M 6.8150 deaths
- 19731973 Luhuo Earthquake · M 7.6
- 1955Sichuan Province · M 7.539 deaths
- 19331933 Diexi Earthquake · M 7.49,300 deaths
- 1923Sichuan Province · M 7.34,800 deaths
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth