2008 Wenchuan Earthquake
It caused widespread devastation in Sichuan province.
Year2008
MagnitudeM7.9
Depth19.0 km
Lives lost87,000
What happened?
It caused widespread devastation in Sichuan province.
Why is it important?
87,000 recorded deaths make this event a major human-impact earthquake. Historical totals can vary between sources as records are revised.
How to read the data
Magnitude describes the energy released at the source. The mapped epicenter is 31.00, 103.40; it does not by itself describe the full affected area.