A magnitude 8.3 (MW) earthquake occurred on 1920-12-16, 20:05 local time (12:05 UTC) (just now), centered 150 km NE of Lanzhou (China). The hypocenter was located at a shallow depth of 17 km. Primary telemetry verified by USGS/ISC-GEM alongside 2 regional seismic monitoring networks.
Curated Global Seismic Archive (1700–Present)
42.50 Mt TNT
shallow (Shallow crustal)
Injuries: > 5,000 · ~148.5M felt
Timeline of foreshocks, main rupture, aftershocks and machine learning risk probability evolution.
Shaking intensity is modelled from magnitude, depth and distance (GMPE attenuation), not reported by residents.
| Town | Distance | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzhou · Gansu | 150 km | MMI VIII |
| Pingliang · Gansu | 171 km | MMI VIII |
| Longxi · Gansu | 183 km | MMI VIII |
| Linxia · Gansu | 221 km | MMI VII |
| Yinchuan · Ningxia Hui | 224 km | MMI VII |
| Tianshui · Gansu | 229 km | MMI VII |
Independent solutions for the same rupture. Differences of 0.1–0.3 in magnitude are normal and reflect method and station coverage.
| Agency | Source ID | Magnitude | Depth | Epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
USGS Primary | official19201216120553_30 | M 8.3 | 17 km | 36.60, 105.32 |
USGS Primary | iscgem912687 | M 7.9 | 15 km | 36.36, 105.55 |
Nearest mapped active fault: Haiyuan Fault, 5 km away, slip rate ~15.0 mm/yr (GEM Global Active Faults).