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Saturday April 17, 2010
China bracing for more quakes
CHOW HOW BAN
The Tibetan plateau and surrounding areas have seen active tectonic plates over the past 14 years, and the authorities warn of more tremors measuring about six magnitude in the area.
HOURS after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Qinghai province’s Yushu county on Wednesday morning, China Earthquake Networks Centre officials sent out a warning that China had entered a relatively active seismic period. Never before they were so sure about this.
The level of earthquake activity in recent times is higher than a century ago. In 2008, there was the 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on March 21, followed by the devastating 8.0-magnitude Wen_chuan earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12.
That year, China experienced 99 earthquakes of magnitude five and more, five times more than the annual average.
Last year, the strongest was that which struck Qinghai’s Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (6.4 magnitude) on Aug 28. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the same area again on Nov 10. The quakes caused no casualties, but crippled some coal mines.
Until the Yushu county earthquake, there had been five consecutive months without a quake measuring more than 6.0 magnitude. All in all, there were only four earthquakes with magnitude of more than six.
In an interview with Sina.com.cn, the centre’s forecast department head Liu Jie said before the 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu on Wednesday at 7.49am, a 4.7-magnitude quake occured at 5.39am.
Close to 300 aftershocks followed the 7.1-magnitude quake, the strongest measuring 6.3 magnitude, around 9am, he added.
China bracing for more quakes
CHOW HOW BAN
The Tibetan plateau and surrounding areas have seen active tectonic plates over the past 14 years, and the authorities warn of more tremors measuring about six magnitude in the area.
HOURS after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Qinghai province’s Yushu county on Wednesday morning, China Earthquake Networks Centre officials sent out a warning that China had entered a relatively active seismic period. Never before they were so sure about this.
The level of earthquake activity in recent times is higher than a century ago. In 2008, there was the 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on March 21, followed by the devastating 8.0-magnitude Wen_chuan earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12.
That year, China experienced 99 earthquakes of magnitude five and more, five times more than the annual average.
Last year, the strongest was that which struck Qinghai’s Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (6.4 magnitude) on Aug 28. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the same area again on Nov 10. The quakes caused no casualties, but crippled some coal mines.
Until the Yushu county earthquake, there had been five consecutive months without a quake measuring more than 6.0 magnitude. All in all, there were only four earthquakes with magnitude of more than six.
In an interview with Sina.com.cn, the centre’s forecast department head Liu Jie said before the 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu on Wednesday at 7.49am, a 4.7-magnitude quake occured at 5.39am.
Close to 300 aftershocks followed the 7.1-magnitude quake, the strongest measuring 6.3 magnitude, around 9am, he added.
