1904 Sichuan earthquake

1904 Sichuan earthquake
Relief location map of Sichuan Province, China
Sichuan Province, China
1904 Sichuan earthquake is located in Sichuan
1904 Sichuan earthquake
Location within Sichuan
UTC time
  • ??
ISC event
USGS-ANSS
Local date
  • August 30, 1904
Local time
Magnitude
  • 7.0 (Chinese source-parameter estimate)[1]
    6.0 (NCEI catalog)[2]
Epicenter31°00′N 101°06′E / 31.00°N 101.10°E / 31.00; 101.10[1]
Areas affectedQing China
Max. intensityVIII[2]
Casualties400 deaths[2]

The 1904 Sichuan earthquake, also known as the 1904 Daofu earthquake, struck western Sichuan, Qing China, on August 30, 1904. It was a strong earthquake on the Xianshuihe fault near Daofu, with source parameters of about M 7.0 and an estimated source location near 31.00° N, 101.10° E.[1] The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information significant-earthquake database lists the event as a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province with 400 deaths and intensity VIII.[2]

The earthquake damaged settlements along the Daofu section of the Xianshuihe fault zone. Local historical materials describe widespread house collapses along a route of about 200 li, damage in Daofu market town, the collapse of monastery buildings, and deaths among residents, officials, and monks.[3] Because the earthquake predates modern local instrumental seismology, its exact origin time, depth, complete rupture extent, and total damage are not well constrained.

Tectonic setting

Topographic context of Sichuan. The earthquake occurred in the mountainous west of the province

Western Sichuan lies on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, where crustal deformation is driven by the broad effects of the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The Daofu area is crossed by the Xianshuihe fault zone, a highly active left-lateral strike-slip fault system that forms part of the tectonic boundary between the Bayan Har Block and the Sichuan–Yunnan block.[4]

The Xianshuihe fault zone has produced many destructive historical earthquakes. A field study of the fault described the western Sichuan Xianshuihe fault as one of the world's most active faults, with at least eight magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes since 1725 and several twentieth-century events along the Luhuo–Daofu segment.[5] Chinese studies place the 1904 Daofu earthquake on the Daofu section of the fault and group it with other strong Xianshuihe events in 1893, 1923, 1973, and 1981.[1][4]

Earthquake

The earthquake occurred on August 30, 1904, corresponding in Chinese historical accounts to the 24th day of the seventh lunar month in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign.[3] Recent seismological literature gives source parameters for the 1904 Daofu event of longitude 101.10° E, latitude 31.00° N, magnitude 7.0, a strike of 322°, dip of 85°, rake of 13°, rupture length of about 50 km (31 mi), and seismic moment of 1.25 × 1019 N⋅m.[1] The NCEI significant-earthquake entry lists magnitude 6.0 and 400 deaths, while Chinese seismological papers commonly treat the Daofu earthquake as an M 7.0 event.[2][1] Some historical summaries of Sichuan earthquakes give a still larger traditional estimate of magnitude 7¼, but the source-parameter values used in recent seismological analysis are closer to M 7.0.[3][1]

Impact

The earthquake caused heavy damage in the Daofu area. Houses were mostly shaken down along the route from Jiangjunliangzi to Songlinkou, a distance described as about 200 li.[3] In Daofu market town, more than 80 households were reported to have collapsed and more than 30 people were killed.[3]

Religious and local administrative buildings were also damaged. The main hall of Lingque Monastery collapsed, another hall tilted, and about 500 of more than 600 monks' dwellings were destroyed, killing more than 100 lamas.[3] The official residence of the Kongsa tusi collapsed, killing 14 local officials and residents; the residence of the Mashu tusi also collapsed and burned.[3] At least 400 people died in this tragedy.[2]

Later significance

The 1904 earthquake is used in studies of earthquake recurrence and stress interaction on the Xianshuihe fault zone. In a 2018 analysis, the 1904 Daofu M 7.0 earthquake and the 1981 Daofu M 6.9 earthquake were modeled as strong events that released seismic moment on the Daofu section and delayed recurrence on the Daofu–Qianning segment by about 80 and 45 years respectively.[1] The event is also important because it belongs to a cluster of large historical ruptures on adjacent Xianshuihe segments. In the Luhuo–Daofu part of the fault, the 1904, 1923, 1973, and 1981 earthquakes were associated with overlapping surface rupture zones and large left-lateral displacements.[5] These historical events remain relevant to seismic hazard studies in western Sichuan, where the Xianshuihe fault crosses populated towns and major transportation corridors.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hui, Chun; Pan, Hua; Xu, Jing (2018). 以鲜水河断裂带中-北段为例探讨强震活动对活动断层大震复发行为的影响 [Study of the influence of strong earthquake on the recurrence behavior of major earthquake on active fault—taking the middle-north section of Xianshuihe fault as an example]. Seismology and Geology (in Chinese). 40 (4): 861–871. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2018.04.010. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service. "Significant Earthquake: CHINA: SICHUAN PROVINCE". NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 四川历史上的地震灾害——明清及以前四川的地震灾 [Historical earthquake disasters in Sichuan: earthquakes in Sichuan before and during the Ming and Qing dynasties]. 四川省情网 (in Chinese). Sichuan Provincial Local Records Office. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Li, Dongyu; Chen, Lichun; Liang, Mingjian; Gao, Shuaipo; Zeng, Di; Wang, Hu; Li, Yanbao (2017). 鲜水河断裂带乾宁段古地震事件与大震复发行为 [Holocene palaeoseismologic record and rupture behavior of large earthquakes on the Xianshuihe Fault]. Seismology and Geology (in Chinese). 39 (4): 623–643. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2017.04.001. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Allen, Clarence R.; Luo, Zhuoli; Qian, Hong; Wen, Xueze; Zhou, Huawei; Huang, Weishi (1991). "Field study of a highly active fault zone: The Xianshuihe fault of southwestern China". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 103 (9): 1178–1199. Retrieved July 2, 2026.

Further reading

  • Li, Tiantiao (1997). 鲜水河活动断裂带及强震危险性评估 [Xianshuihe Active Fault Zone and Evaluation of Risk for Strong Earthquakes] (in Chinese). Chengdu: Chengdu Cartographic Publishing House.
  • Li, Ping (1993). 鲜水河—小江断裂带 [The Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang Fault Zone] (in Chinese). Beijing: Seismological Press.
  • Zhang, Shimin; Xie, Furen (2001). "Seismo-tectonic divisions of strong earthquakes with Ms ≥ 7.0 and their tectonic geomorphology along Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault zone". Acta Seismologica Sinica. 14 (1): 38–48. doi:10.1007/s11589-001-0159-3.
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