Haiyuan earthquake, 1920

Event Summary:

The earthquake that hit China’s remote Gansu Province in late 1920 was the world’s second deadliest of the twentieth century. It struck in the evening of the 16th of December in the rural district of Haiyuan near Inner Mongolia, leading to the deaths of more than 200,000 people and to severe destruction over an area of 20,000 square kilometers (Fuller et al., 2022). This earthquake had an intensity of XII on the Mercalli scale which resulted in between 600 and 700 major landslides in the surrounding area. The estimated tremor range from the earthquake was between a 7.8 magnitude and an 8.5 magnitude. The majority of this earthquake took place in rural areas resulting in mass amounts of loss in small communities. The estimated deaths of this earthquake from over 50 different counties ranged from 234,117 to 314,092, among the deaths was a prominent Islamic figure in China named Ma Yuanzhang. The property damage was estimated to around 30 million yuan which would have been 20 million USD at the time. In 14 of the counties alone over 70 percent of all structures collapsed. Livestock loss was also massive, ranging from 808,270 to 1.7 million head of various animals (Fuller et al., 2022).

 

Discussion:

The aftermath of the earthquake was very bad, especially in the rural parts of the Gansu Province. Aside from homes and farms many granaries collapsed during the initial earthquake which resulted in much of the population going hungry. Immediately following the earthquake was fierce windstorms and snowfall which resulted in many more deaths (which were not recorded accurately.) The population turned to violence for survival which resulted in the formation of large bands of bandits which scoured the countryside. Soldiers in the region served as the first responders. They delivered tents, emergency rations and protection to the hardest hit areas. Local gentry and merchant associations set up soup kitchens and contributed emergency aid as well, while other magistrates issued tents and grain to the victims. Other provinces in China raised relief money and sent more emergency responders to assist in the rebuilding of the Gansu Province. Later in the winter following the earthquake foreign missionaries joined the efforts in rebuilding communities, granaries and transportation routes. A famine hit North China in early 1921 affecting 20-30 million people who relied on the grain and livestock lost in the Gansu Province (Fuller et al., 2022). Some ways that the Chinese government could have limited the affect of the earthquake would have been to have dedicated relief centers and shelters for earthquakes. This would have meant safety, food, water and protection from the harsh weather for many of the survivors from the initial quake. Another way they could have mitigated the impacts would have been to have a relief fund set aside for the province so that the people would not have had to wait for relief money to be raised before starting to rebuild. 

Pictures: 

   Image 1. Showing the epicenter of the earthquake and how far the earthquake reached. 

Image 2. Shows victims of the earthquake searching the ruins of their homes for anything of                                                                            value

Image 3. Shows victims looking at the ruins of their small community after a landslide                                                                  following the earthquake

Video:

https://youtu.be/uhJe8uqW1Rk

Citations: 

Fuller, Pierre. “Contents.” Disaster History, https://disasterhistory.org/gansu-earthquake-1920.

“This Day in History: Massive Haiyuan Earthquake Devastates Gansu.” Refer China, 16 Dec. 2020, https://www.referchina.com/2020/12/This_Day_in_History__Massive_Haiyuan_Earthquake_Devastates_Gansu_27789.html.

Suddath, Claire. “Top 10 Deadliest Earthquakes.” Time, Time Inc., 13 Jan. 2010, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1953425_1953424_1953443,00.html.

“The Deadliest Earthquakes to Rock the World.” New York Daily News, New York Daily News, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/deadliest-earthquakes-rock-world-gallery-1.2764182?pmSlide=1.2764173.

“The 1920 Haiyuan Earthquake: One of the 20th Century's Deadliest.” AIRWorldwide, https://www.air-worldwide.com/blog/posts/2020/12/the-1920-haiyuan-earthquake-one-of-the-20th-centurys-deadliest/.