1810 North Korea earthquake

Local date	19 February 1810 (1810-02-19)
Magnitude	7.3 Mw
Epicenter	41°36′N 130°00′E / 41.6°N 130.0°E / 41.6; 130.0
Areas affected	Joseon (present-day North Korea)
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent)
Casualties	Unspecified number

An earthquake struck present-day North Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.3 and affected present-day North Hamgyong Province.^[1] The maximum Modified Mercalli intensity was assigned VIII to IX. Eighty-three homes collapsed and livestock were destroyed. A landslide killed at least two people while additional fatalities occurred during a stampede.^[2]

Historical documents indicate it occurred in the early morning. The towns of Myeongcheon, Gyeongseong, and Hoeryeong were affected; fortresses and homes were razed, landslides occurre and people were killed. In Buryeongbu, 38 homes were destroyed and residents also died.^[3]

The earthquake may have occurred on a section of the Yilan-Yitong Fault Zone in Shangzhi, China, through paleoseismology. The Yilan-Yitong Fault Zone is the northern branch of the larger Tanlu Fault. The Tanlu Fault is a 3,600 km (2,200 mi) long continental strike-slip fault extending from southern China through the country's northeast, into Bohai Bay and Russia. The Yilan-Yitong Fault Zone is located north of Bohai Bay. It is considered a major seismic hazard in the region as it represents an active boundary between the tectonics of north Asia. A paleoearthquake identified through trenching studied may correspond to historical records of an earthquake affecting Ning'an in 1810.^[4]