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Great Tancheng earthquake

Local date	July 25, 1668
Magnitude	8.5 Ms, 8.5 Mw
Depth	22–28 km (14–17 mi)
Epicenter	35°18′N 118°36′E / 35.3°N 118.6°E / 35.3; 118.6
Fault	Yishu Fault
Areas affected	Qing dynasty (present day China)
Max. intensity	MMI XII (Extreme)
Tsunami	Probable
Aftershocks	Lasted for six years
Casualties	42,578–50,000+ dead

A major earthquake occurred during the rule of the Qing dynasty in Shandong Province on July 25, 1668. It had an estimated magnitude of M_s 8.5, making it the largest historical earthquake in East China, and one of the largest to occur on land. An estimated 43,000 to 50,000 people were killed, and its effects were widely felt. Its epicenter may have been located between Ju and Tancheng counties, northeast of the prefecture-level city of Linyi in southern Shandong.

Geology

The earthquake occurred halfway between Beijing and Shanghai, where seismic activity is infrequent. There had not been any major earthquakes in the area for over 150 years. Within historical times, only seven earthquakes have occurred with estimated magnitudes greater than M_s  6.0. The first recorded earthquake occurred northwest of Zhucheng in 70 BCE, estimated at M_s  7.0 or greater. The most recent destructive earthquake occurred on 19 November 1829, measuring M_s  6.75 near Yidu and Linqu. These major earthquakes occurred along the Tan-Lu Fault Zone.

The Tan-Lu Fault Zone is eastern China's most geologically significant fault—a north-northeast-south-southwest trending dextral strike-slip fault zone. The fault extends 2,400 km (1,500 mi) from Wuxue near the Yangtze River bank, through the Bohai Sea, to Zhaoxing, Heilongjiang. It has evolved multiple times during its history; from the late Triassic to middle Cretaceous, it was a sinistral strike-slip fault zone which produced offsets ranging from 200–740 km (120–460 mi). During the late Cretaceous, the fault zone became an area of extensional tectonics, producing rift grabens and collecting sediments up to 10 km (6.2 mi) thick in some areas. During the Paleogene, rifting ceased and the fault zone evolved into a dextral strike-slip fault by the late Eocene. This was in response to the change in tectonics brought on by the India–Asia collision and subduction along the west Pacific.

Earthquake

The earthquake rupture occurred along the 360 km (220 mi)-long Yishu Fault, a segment of the Tan-Lu Fault Zone. The Tan-Lu Fault Zone formed during the Mesozoic. Its slip rate has been estimated at less than 1–2.6 mm (0.039–0.102 in) per year. During the earthquake, the Yishu Fault produced an average offset of 9 m (30 ft). The slip sense was mainly dextral strike-slip with a small thrust component. Seismic inversion suggest a 160 km × 32 km (99 mi × 20 mi) rupture area on a near-vertical, north–south striking fault. A hypocenter depth of between 22 km (14 mi) and 28 km (17 mi) has been suggested. Three aftershocks occurred on 26 July and 18 September 1688; estimated at M_s  6.25 and 6.0, respectively. Another aftershock occurred in 1672 estimated at M_s  6.0.

A paleoseismic study of the fault zone in 1987 suggest the same segment was the source of a similarly sized earthquake in 6280 BCE. The same fault may have also produced a 1975 earthquake in Haicheng, 700 km (430 mi) north of this event. Another destructive earthquake in 1969 was also produced along the Tan-Lu Fault Zone.

Impact

The earthquake was felt in 379 counties, 29 of which experienced catastrophic damage. It also affected Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Liaoning, and Korea. There was a 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) radial zone of damage around Tancheng, Linyi and Ju County. It is considered one of the most destructive in Chinese history. The earthquake produced strong shaking assigned XII (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale, the most destructive shaking an earthquake could achieve. Seismic intensity VIII was over 16,800 square kilometres (6,500 sq mi) corresponding to an elliptical-shaped area along the fault zone.

In Ju County alone, more than 20,000 people were killed. Residential and official homes were destroyed. Schools, temples, warehouses and the city walls toppled. In Mashi, Wulugu, Yanjiagu, Shifengdo, Keluodo and Maqi, landslides occurred on the hills. Widespread land subsidence and collapse occurred. Fissures up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) wide and hundreds of meters long were observed. One fissure measured 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) from Guanzhuang to Gehu along a river cliff. It ejected dust, sand and water. At three wells, water was ejected 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) into the air.

In Tancheng, battlements, government buildings, homes, a watchtower, temples and storehouses were completely destroyed. Over 8,700 people died. Fissures were reportedly so wide that people were unable to walk over it. The bottom of these fissures were also too deep to be seen. Water erupted from the ground to a height of 10 metres (33 ft). At Lizhuang, a town in the county, massive subsidence occurred.

In Linyi, no homes, city walls and temples were left intact. There were over 6,900 reported fatalities. Black water was said to emerge from fissures. Water erupted from wells and formed a pool measuring 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) wide. Many nearby cities walls fell, and some parts flooded by overflowing rivers and wells. Fissures caused water and sand to erupt, burying homes. Many livestock also died. Heavy damage occurred in Ganyu.

Tsunami

Historical records also documented a probable tsunami in the region. It was reported that coastal cities were flooded and rivers overflowed.

Response

The Kangxi Emperor ordered his ministry to handle the relief efforts. In 40 prefectures and counties, tax fees were waived. Over 227,300 taels of silver were issued.

See also

• List of historical earthquakes
• List of earthquakes in China

References

1. "25 July 1668 Tancheng (Shandong)". Global Historical Earthquake Archive. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
2. Jianshe Lei; Dapeng Zhao; Xiwei Xu; Mofei Du; Qi Mi; Mingwen Lu (2020). "P-wave upper-mantle tomography of the Tanlu fault zone in eastern China". Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors. 299 (106402): 106402. Bibcode:2020PEPI..29906402L. doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2019.106402.
3. ^ Press, Frank; Bullock, Mary; Hamilton, Robert M.; Brace, William F.; Kisslinger, Carl; Bonilla, Manuel G.; Allen, Clarence R.; Sykes, Lynn R.; Raleigh, C., Barry; Knopoff, Leon; Clough, Ray W.; Hofheinz, Roy Jr.; Smith, Peter G. (1975). "Earthquake research in China" (PDF). Eos. 56 (11): 838–881. Bibcode:1975EOSTr..56..838.. doi:10.1029/EO056i011p00838. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2022.
4. ^ Wang, Jian; Main, Ian G. (25 August 2022). "Strong historical earthquakes and their relationships with the Tan-Lu fault system and modern seismicity in eastern China". Natural Hazards. 115: 539–564. doi:10.1007/s11069-022-05565-8. hdl:20.500.11820/54b534b8-1dfc-4fcb-bc07-2199323220ab. S2CID 251815860.
5. Lei, Jianshe; Zhao, Dapeng; Xu, Xiwei; Du, Mofei; Mi, Qi; Lu, Mingwen (2020). "P-wave upper-mantle tomography of the Tanlu fault zone in eastern China". Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors. 299. Bibcode:2020PEPI..29906402L. doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2019.106402. S2CID 210637062.
6. Liu, Mian; Stein, Seth (2016). "Mid-continental earthquakes: Spatiotemporal occurrences, causes, and hazards" (PDF). Earth-Science Reviews. 162: 364–386. Bibcode:2016ESRv..162..364L. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.09.016 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
7. Wenliang Jiang; Jingfa Zhang; Zhujun Han; Tian Tian; Qisong Jiao; Xin Wang; Hongbo Jiang (2017). "Characteristic Slip of Strong Earthquakes Along the Yishu Fault Zone in East China Evidenced by Offset Landforms". Tectonics. 36 (10): 1947–1965. Bibcode:2017Tecto..36.1947J. doi:10.1002/2016TC004363. S2CID 133827242.
8. ^ Zhou, Cuiying; Diao, Guiling; Geng, Jie; Li, Yonghong; Xu, Ping; Xu, Xinliang; Feng, Xiangdong (2010). "Fault plane parameters of Tancheng M8½ earthquake on the basis of present-day seismological data" (PDF). Earthquake Science. 23 (6): 567–576. Bibcode:2010EaSci..23..567Z. doi:10.1007/s11589-010-0756-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2022.
9. "山东郯城逾8级大地震352周年：重评地震区划助力当地发展" [The 352nd anniversary of the magnitude 8 earthquake in Tancheng, Shandong: Re-evaluation of earthquake zoning to help local development]. China News Service (in Chinese). 云桥网. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
10. ^ National Geophysical Data Center (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
11. ^ "那年今日，郯城8.5级大地震 中国历史上最大的地震 原文網址" (in Chinese). Daily Headlines. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
12. "郯城麦坡：大地震留下的岁月痕迹" [Maipo, Tancheng: Traces of Time Left by the Great Earthquake]. Qilu Evening News (in Chinese). 25 May 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
13. Shaoyuan, Che; Qianyuan, Zhuang (29 December 2011). "回眸：清朝康熙年间郯城大地震" [Looking Back: The Great Tancheng Earthquake During the Kangxi Period of the Qing Dynasty]. Dazhong Daily. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
14. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

Further reading

• Jiang, Wenliang; Zhang, Jingfa; Han, Zhujun; Tian, Tian; Jiao, Qisong; Wang, Xin; Jiang, Hongbo (2017). "Characteristic Slip of Strong Earthquakes Along the Yishu Fault Zone in East China Evidenced by Offset Landforms". Tectonics. 36 (10): 1947–1965. Bibcode:2017Tecto..36.1947J. doi:10.1002/2016TC004363. S2CID 133827242.

• Earthquakes in Shandong
• 1668 disasters
• 1668 in Asia
• 1660s earthquakes
• 1668 natural disasters
• Tsunamis in China
• Geography of East China