Due to its location at the junction of the Indian Ocean Plate and the Eurasian Plate, both northwest and southwest China are earthquake-prone areas, which can be described as "one small earthquake in three days and one major earthquake in five days". The author consulted relevant materials and sorted out several well-known earthquakes in the west. (In no particular order)
1. Gulang earthquake
The Gulang Earthquake was an earthquake that occurred on May 23, 1927, with its epicenter in the northwest of Gulang County, Gansu Province, China. It is recorded that the earthquake had a magnitude of 8 and an epicenter of up to 11 degrees.
In Gulang County, the earthquake caused severe damage. The extreme earthquake area is mainly distributed in and around the county seat of the county, as well as Shuangta, Shuixiakou, Shenjiawopu, Holly Ding, Gucheng and Zhangyibao and other areas. All the caves in the area have collapsed, and the proportion of houses collapsed is as high as more than 9/10. In Gulang County, where there are only 300 households, all the houses collapsed, and none of them were spared, and more than 700 men and women were crushed to death. A landslide occurred in Dongchuan, next to the village of Yangjiawazhuang on the outskirts of the city, covering the villages below the mountain with a 1.5-kilometer-long landslide. The death toll in the county's urban and rural areas is as high as 41,471.
This earthquake is an earthquake-prone zone, and in the 20th century, there were three recorded earthquakes in Gulang County.
On October 20, 1990, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred at the junction of Gulang, Tianzhu and Jingtai counties, killing 1 person, seriously injuring 7 people and slightly injuring 9 people.
On June 1, 1996, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in Gulang County, resulting in 4 serious injuries and 15 minor injuries.
Among them, the magnitude 7 earthquake that occurred in the northwest of Gulang County at 1:04:27 on December 25, 1932 also caused serious disasters.
2. Kunlun Mountain Earthquake
The Kunlun Mountain Earthquake was a powerful earthquake that occurred on November 14, 2001 in the west of the Kunlun Pass, with a magnitude of 8.1. The earthquake was the second largest earthquake in Chinese mainland since the founding of the People's Republic of China, after the 8.6 magnitude earthquake in Metuo, Tibet, on August 15, 1950.
The earthquake occurred in parts of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu, and the tremor was strongly felt. By 11 a.m. on November 15, there were many aftershocks in the earthquake area, causing some houses to collapse in the main earthquake area in Qinghai, many fractures on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway (National Highway 109), and a large crack zone in Kunlun Mountain.
Thankfully, due to the remote location of the earthquake, there were no casualties. Although the earthquake caused serious damage, fortunately, casualties were avoided due to timely warning and effective rescue measures.
3. 8.8 Jiuzhaigou earthquake
The 8.8 Jiuzhaigou earthquake occurred at 21:19:46 on August 8, 2017, and the epicenter was located in Bimang Village, Zhangzha Town, Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.0, and the epicenter was located at 33.20 degrees north latitude, 103.82 degrees east longitude, 5 kilometers west of the core scenic spot of Jiuzhaigou.
As of 20:00 on August 13, 2017, the earthquake has killed 25 people (24 of whom have been identified), 525 people have been injured, 6 people are missing, 176492 people (including tourists) have been affected, and 73,671 houses have been damaged to varying degrees (including 76 collapsed).
The earthquake brought serious disasters and losses to Jiuzhaigou County, but fortunately, casualties were avoided due to timely warning and effective rescue measures. This earthquake reminds us once again that earthquakes are unpredictable natural disasters, but through scientific research and early warning systems, we can improve our preparedness for earthquakes and reduce the damage caused by earthquakes.
Fourth, the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake
The 2018 Wenchuan earthquake occurred at 14:28:34 on May 12, 2018, with the epicenter located in Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province (31.0°N, 103.4°E), with a magnitude of 8.0 and an epicenter depth of 15 kilometers.
The 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake killed 69,227 people, 17,923 people went missing, 374643 people were injured to varying degrees, 19,930,300 people lost their homes, and the total population affected reached 46,256,000. It caused direct economic losses of 845.14 billion yuan, including serious damage to residents' housing and infrastructure such as electricity, communications, and roads. The Wenchuan earthquake was the most destructive, the most extensive, the heaviest disaster loss and the most difficult disaster relief earthquake since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The earthquake has also attracted global attention and attention, and governments and international organizations have expressed their condolences and support to the Chinese government. In the period after the earthquake, the people in the affected areas worked together to help themselves and each other.
Fifth, 12.25 Changma earthquake
The Changma Earthquake was a major earthquake that occurred on November 25, 1932 in Changmabao, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, China. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.6 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter intensity of 10 degrees. The earthquake caused serious disasters in the surrounding counties of Jiuquan, Gaotai, Yumen, Dunhuang and other counties, and caused serious natural disasters such as landslides, ground cracks, landslides, and dry up wells. According to statistics, the earthquake caused more than 70,000 casualties, the grottoes of Changmabao were collapsed, the Jiayuguan city tower was shaken and collapsed, and the Shule River was cut off for several days. Aftershocks were frequent and lasted for half a year.
The devastating power of the earthquake caused great suffering and loss to the local people. The government and all sectors of society acted quickly in the aftermath of the earthquake and provided support and assistance to the people in the affected areas.
6. 4.14 Yushu earthquake
The April 14 Yushu earthquake was an earthquake that occurred at 7:49 on April 14, 2010 in Yushu City, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China (33.2 degrees north latitude, 96.6 degrees east longitude), with a magnitude of 7.1 and an epicenter depth of 14 kilometers. The earthquake caused heavy casualties and property damage. According to reports, about 2,698 people were killed in the earthquake, and 70% of the school buildings in Yushu Prefecture collapsed, involving 19 townships in Yushu City and 5 counties of Chengduo, Zhiduo, Zaduo, Nangqian and Qumalai, with an area of 30,445 square kilometers.
On April 21, 2010, a national mourning event was held, and the flags of the whole country and embassies and consulates abroad were lowered at half-mast to mourn.
All of the above are earthquakes with high seismic intensity and relatively high visibility. What other earthquakes have occurred in the western region since the 20th century?
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