#3 – Shaanxi Earthquake
Year: 1556
Location: China
Death Toll: Up to 830,000 people
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake, sometimes referred to as the Jiajing earthquake was a catastrophic earthquake killing approximately 830,000 people. It occurred in January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in the Wei River Valley in Shaanxi Province, near the cities of Huaxian, Weinan and Huayin. In Huaxian, every single building and home was demolished, killing more than half the residents of the city. In certain areas, 20-metre deep crevices opened in the earth, with the earthquake also triggering landslides, which contributed to the massive death toll.
Based on geological data and recent discoveries, the earthquake had a magnitude of approximately 8 on the Richter Scale and was the deadliest earthquake in recorded history.