1556 Shaanxi earthquake

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake was a very destructive and deadly earthquake that occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty. It killed around 830,000.0 people, making it the deadliest earthquake in human history by number of deaths.International Association of Engineering Geology International Congress. Proceedings. [1990] (1990). . 

More than 97 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhui were affected.Science Museums of China  Museum of Earthquakes, Ruins of Hua County Earthquake (1556) The earthquake destroyed a  area. In some counties, 60% of the population was killed.Earthquake page of Dr. George P. C. It had a magnitude of around 8.0.

At the time, many people in that area lived in homes they made from artificial caves. Loess, the material that made these caves, is known to be very weak and can cause landslides. Scholars believe that is why so many people had died.

References

Other websites
 Ruins of Hua County Earthquake 

Category:1556
Category:Earthquakes in China
Category:Gansu
Category:Shaanxi
Category:16th century in Asia
Category:History of China
Category:Articles on pre-1900 earthquakes