The thickened crust of the Tibetan plateau is spreading to the east causing the southward motion of the Sichuan-Yunnan block.

[4] An isoseismal map constructed for this earthquake shows that the zone of maximum shaking was elongated in a northwest–southeast direction, parallel to the trace of the Xianshuihe Fault.

Remote sensing techniques, backed up by a field survey, identified a 70-kilometre (43 mi) long zone of surface fault rupture thought to be associated with the earthquake.

The city walls at Kangding collapsed and severe damage to many houses and government buildings caused 250 casualties.

At both Qingxi and Yuexi, parts of the city walls were destroyed and many buildings were severely damaged, causing further casualties.