Abstract: The destructive Qiongzhou earthquake (July, 13, 1605) which occurred in the northern part of Hainan Island is historically an event having the most severe damage in South China, and causing the land-collapse on a large scale to form a part of the sea. The present investigation gives its intensity as XI, M = 7³/₄-8, h=22km?, epicenter location as N19?59', E110?28'. The magistoseismic area is shaped like a partly inverted tablespoon with its main long axis trending NEE, but being intersected east of Mt. Qiongshan by another long axis running NNW. The principal seismogenerating fault is in NEE direction and a NNW-trending fault is across it.This earthquake took place in a tectonic junction between two sets of horsts and grabens, namely, between the NEE trending strongly uplifted Fushan-Meiting horst and the intensely depressed Str. Qiongzhou graben in N. Qiongzhou district, and in NE Qiongzhou between the NNW running -strongly uplifted Yunlong horst and the intensely depressed Dongzhai Harbour graben. It happened in a horizontal stress field with predominantly NW strike (300氨) but resulted from the strongly differential vertical move-ment in the earth's crust In short, this earthquake was induced probably by a pair of X-shaped NEE (predominantly) and NNW-running shearing faults and was the consequence of their growth, development and displacement.

摘要： 1605年发生于海南岛北部的琼州大地震,震中烈度Ⅺ,震级7³/₄—8级。极震区强烈下陷,大片陆地沉没为海。极震区长轴方向为北东东,东端向东南偏转为南南东向。该地震是在主压应力轴约为北西300°方向的水平应力场作用下,发生于强烈上升与强烈下降的现代地垒与地堑的边缘转折地带。发震断裂可能为一对X型的北东东向和北北西（以前者为主）的高角度平推正断层。