China Earthquake: The earth trembled in the Qinghai province of north-west China on Wednesday morning. An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude was felt at 5:36 am local time. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), the epicenter of the earthquake was about 10 kilometers below the ground in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai.
According to CENC, the epicenter of the earthquake was located at 37.81 degrees north latitude and 95.63 degrees east longitude. Due to the low depth of the earthquake, its tremors can be felt in the surrounding areas also. According to the information available at present, no major damage or loss of life has been confirmed due to the earthquake. The local administration is keeping an eye on the situation.
Why is there a danger of earthquake in China?
The western and south-western parts of China are very sensitive to seismic activities. The main reason for this is the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The Indian plate moves north and collides with the Eurasian plate. Due to this geological activity there is constant tension in the rocks. When this stress is suddenly released on an active fault, an earthquake occurs.
Many areas including Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Xinjiang are considered sensitive due to active faults.
Big earthquakes have occurred in China before
Many powerful earthquakes have occurred in China before. On May 12, 2008, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan left about 87,000 people dead or missing. On April 14, 2010, an earthquake of about 7.1 magnitude occurred in Yushu area of Qinghai, in which more than 2,600 people died.
Apart from this, in December 2023, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in the border area of Gansu and Qinghai. More than 140 people died in this and a large number of houses were damaged.