The shock was estimated to have a moment magnitude of 7.6 and it had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme).

Cracks in the ground turned into miniature rivers, and many canals in Shanxi Province were destroyed, along with city walls.

Some reports stated that the earthquake even levelled mountains and hills, altering the topographic make-up of the region.

[6] Landslides and soil subsidence and liquefaction triggered by the shaking were a likely root cause of these large-scale environmental changes.

[5] Rebuilding was generally slow, owing to the destroyed infrastructure of Shanxi and was interrupted by several other earthquakes in the following years.