China has a few active volcanoes, which are all related to intra-plate mantle plumes and located far from tectonic plate boundaries.
There are many historical earthquake reports from China, the earliest dating back to 23 BC, but only very few about volcanic eruptions.
One of the world's largest eruptions during the past 10,000 years took place at Baitoushan volcano on the China/Korea border in the 11th century AD. The most recent eruption in China was from the Kunlun volcano in 1951.
| Date | Volcano | VEI | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kunlun Ashi Shan | 2 | Tibet, China | ||||
| Hainan Nansheling ridge | ? | Hainan Island, SE China | ||||
| Changbaishan Liuhaojie tuff ring? | ? | China / North Korea border | ||||
| Changbaishan | 2? | China / North Korea border | ||||
| Hainan Lingao | ? | Hainan Island, SE China | ||||
| Wudalianchi Laoheishan | 2? | Heilongjiang Province, NE China | ||||
| Wudalianchi Laoheishan and Huoshaoshan | 3 | Heilongjiang Province, NE China | ||||
| Changbaishan | ? | China / North Korea border | ||||
| Changbaishan | ? | China / North Korea border | ||||
The last volcanic eruption in China was from Kunlun volcano in 1951.
The first historically documented eruption occurred around 1668 AD from Changbaishan volcano.
Since 1668 AD, China has seen at least 9 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 39.7 years.
China is volcanically occasionally active: Since 1900, at least 3 volcanoes in China have been active.Since 1900, China has had 3 volcanic eruptions from 3 individual volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions have been recorded erupted during 3 years out of 126 as of now. This means, at least one volcano in China has been in eruption in one in 42 years on average. The last volcano to erupt in China was Kunlun volcano, which erupted in 1951, 75 years ago.
The largest eruption in China in historic times was from Wudalianchi volcano. It occurred during 1720 - 1721. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.
| Date and Time | Mag / Depth | Nearest Volcano / Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 10:00 pm (Shanghai) | 4.6 90 km | 725 km (450 mi) SE of | Tibet, China I FELT IT | Info | |
| Tuesday, August 26, 2025 GMT (3 quakes) | |||||
| Aug 27, 04:16 am (Shanghai) | 5.0 10 km | 462 km (287 mi) SW of | 440 km northwest of Lhasa, Tibet, China I FELT IT - 1 report | Info | |
| Aug 26, 10:03 am (Shanghai) | 4.6 10 km | 724 km (450 mi) SE of | 128 km NW of Saga, China I FELT IT | Info | |
| Aug 26, 08:03 am (Shanghai) | 5.1 10 km | 425 km (264 mi) SW of | Western Xizang I FELT IT | Info | |
| Saturday, August 23, 2025 GMT (2 quakes) | |||||
| Aug 24, 03:53 am (Urumqi) | 4.7 8.4 km | 197 km (122 mi) N of | 84 km north of Xinyuan, Xinjiang, China I FELT IT | Info | |
| Aug 24, 03:06 am (Urumqi) | 4.7 10 km | 362 km (225 mi) SW of | 143 km west of Aksu, Xinjiang, China I FELT IT - 3 reports | Info | |
China, Hebei on Jul, 27, 1976. It resulted in 242,769 fatalities and 799,000 injured people. This was the 5th deadliest quake known in history and the 2nd worst quake in China during recorded history.
| Date | Mag | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Apr 13 | 6.9 | Qinghai Province Yushu | 2,968 | very heavy | Info |
| 2008 May 12 | 7.9 | Sichuan Province | 87,652 | catastrophic | Info |
| 1988 Nov 6 | 7.3 | Yunnan Province | 738 | very heavy | Info |
| 1976 Jul 27 | 7.5 | Ne Tangshan | 242,769 | catastrophic | Info |
| 1974 May 10 | 7.1 | Yunnan And Sichuan Provinces, Chao-t'ung | 20,000 | heavy | Info |
| 1970 Jan 4 | 7.8 | Yunnan Province; Vietnam Hanoi | 10,000 | heavy | Info |
| 1969 Jul 25 | 6.4 | Guangdong Province Yangjiang County | 3,000 | very heavy | Info |
| 1950 Aug 15 | 8.6 | India-china | 1,530 | heavy | Info |
| 1948 May 25 | 7.3 | Sichuan Province | 800 | heavy | Info |
| 1936 Apr 1 | 6.8 | Guangxi Province | over 1,000 (*) | very heavy | Info |
| 1933 Aug 25 | 7.5 | Sichuan Province | 9,300 | very heavy | Info |
| 1931 Aug 10 | 8.0 | Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Province N | 10,000 | very heavy | Info |
| 1927 May 22 | 7.6 | Gansu Province | 40,912 | very heavy | Info |
| 1925 Mar 16 | 7.0 | Yunnan Province Talifu | 5,000 | very heavy | Info |
| 1923 Mar 24 | 7.3 | Sichuan Province | 4,800 | heavy | Info |
| 1920 Dec 16 | 8.3 | Gansu Province, Shanxi Province | 200,000 | heavy | Info |
| 1918 Feb 13 | 7.3 | Guangdong Province | 2,000 | very heavy | Info |
| 1917 Jul 30 | 6.8 | Yunnan Province | 1,800 | very heavy | Info |
| 1913 Dec 21 | 7.0 | Yunnan Province | 942 | heavy | Info |
| 1902 Aug 22 | 7.7 | Xinjiang, Turkestan | 2,500 | very heavy | Info |
The deadliest earthquake in China since 1900 was the magnitude 7.5 earthquake in China, Hebei on Jul, 27, 1976. It resulted in 242,769 fatalities and 799,000 injured people. This was the 5th deadliest quake known in history and the 2nd worst quake in China during recorded history.
The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 7.9 earthquake in China, Sichuan on May, 12, 2008. It caused 87,652 fatalities and estimated $86 billion US Dollars (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.
Since 1900, at least 186 earthquakes claimed an estimated total of 660,000 fatalities in China.
There were 365 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $120 billion US Dollars combined.
