Shaanxi Earthquake of 23 January 1556, M8
On January 23, 1556, the deadliest earthquake in history occurred in Shaanxi, China. The “Shaanxi Earthquake” (formerly known as “Jiajing Great Earthquake”), had an estimated Moment Magnitude of 8 and had an estimated intensity of XI on the Modified Mercalli scale. The earthquake was responsible for the devastation of 97 counties and eight provinces in Central China, extended over an area of 520 miles. In some of the counties, the average death toll was estimated to be about 60 percent of the population. According to historical records, a total of 830,000 people lost their lives, most from the collapse of poorly constructed houses and of Loess cave dwellings.
