Tag Archives: China

Destructive Shallow Earthquakes — Yunnan, China

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Deaths and Destruction after a series of shallow earthquakes in Yunnan, China – 64 people killed and 715 injured

Last update: September 7, 2012 at 2:58 pm by By

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.7 (CENC), 5.6 (CENC)
UTC Time : 03:19:42 UTC, Friday, 7th September, 2012.
Local time at epicenter : 11:19:42, Friday, 7th September, 2012.
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10km, 10km
Geo-location(s) : 1km (1mi) SW of Jiaokui, China
39km (24mi) NE of Zhaotong, China
84km (52mi) NNW of Weining, China
120km (75mi) SW of Xunchang, China

Update 14:08 UTC
– It is horrifying for us to add always more and more fatalities in our updates.  Now from 63 to 64, another family devastated by losing someone.
– The Yunnan earthquake is currently the 4th deadliest earthquake of 2012

Image courtesy and copyright ChinaNews – Click on this picture to watch more images from ChinaNews

Image courtesy and copyright zhgpl.com

Update 13:05 UTC
– The death toll has, as could be expected, further increased to 63
– 715 people are injured in various degrees
– China Prime Minister Hu Jintao gave personally high priority instructions to do whatever necessary to help the people in the disaster area
– 15 county towns have been damaged in various degrees
– It is currently dark in China and the power has not been restored in all affected areas yet
– 3961 rooms are destroyed
– 13876 rooms damaged
– 3455 livestock pens destroyed
– 11633 livestock pens damaged

Update 10:59 UTC
– A reporter who was inspecting the area saw huge landslides on both sides of the valley.
– Roads are being blocked by huge rocks.
– A boulder measuring 36 meter was blocking the river, creating a small lake
– The houses of 30 families living near a zinc mine have all been damaged
– aftershocks are following each other very fast. More landslides and rockfall is being triggered by the many aftershocks
– rescue workers have still problems to reach some areas as roads are blocked

Update 10:47 UTC
– Most of the fatalities (49 of the 50) have been reported from Yilang county
– The local seismological bureau has given 4 reasons why the death toll is higher in Yilang county
a) very high population density (205 people per sq/km vs 117 in the rest of Yunnan)
b) poorly constructed houses because of poor families and almost no industrial activity (no earthquake resistant building)
c) mountains and slopes which can trigger easily secondary effects like landslides
d) the double strong earthquakes impact. The second earthquake was shallower and closer to densely populated areas
– Experts from CEA (National Earthquake Authority) will arrive soon at the scene to help with the local authorities. National experts are only sent in after major earthquake events.
– High Voltage Power supply facilities have been severely damaged

Update 10:31 UTC
– China TV now reports that 50 people have lost their life in a double moderate earthquake, making this earthquake one of the most deadly this year. Assessment is currently done by the Chinese authorities
– Darkness will set in in a couple of hours making rescue work even more dangerous. Rescuers still have to cope with aftershocks of M3 to M4.

Image courtesy yunnan.cn

Update 09:20 UTC
– This is the unfolding report of the Yunnan earthquake China, no more updates since our 08:31 UTC report
– More information can come in at any minute
– If you want to know more about this earthquake, please keep this page open and refresh it at regular times as we will continue following up this cruel earthquake the following hours
– Earthquake-Report.com is following up both official information (national and regional seismological bureaus and rescue departments, civil defense authorities as well as Chinese news media)

Update 08:31 UTC
– The death toll of the double M5.6 / M5.7 earthquake has further climbed to 43 (42 in Yiliang County, 1 in Zhaoyang District).
– 700,000 people have been affected by this cruel earthquake
– 100,000 people have been relocated
– Major fires are currently going on in the damaged areas (can be seen on the latest video below)

Update 08:10 UTC
The Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs department has just released an update :
– 24 dead, 150 injured.
– 100000 people evacuated/relocated
– 20000+ households with damage
– ER expects that the Economic loss estimate is coming out to $220-390 million based on the current parameters. (still waiting on a damage-based estimate).

Image courtesy CCTV

Update 07:48 UTC
– Apart from the mainshocks, a lot of aftershocks are hitting the area
– The current rainy weather is making the soil very unstable, thus triggering a lot of minor and major landslides
– The Chinese CEA authority has send a 10-man supervisory team to the area. These National teams are only flying in in major disaster cases.

Update 07:40 UTC
– Reports are also talking about severely injured people which means that the death toll will probably climb further
– The news of serious landslides also means that remotely located villages may have been hit by landslides too. Priority is mostly given to the bigger cities.
– Greatly seen in the world as small tremors proof once more to become a deadly cocktail in China. Earthquakes cannot be pinned into a Magnitude / Dangerous relation. Much more has to be accounted for.

Important update 07:33 UTC
– Various Chinese media are now reporting a death toll of at least 20 people. (has to be confirmed by the Yunnan Earthquake Bureau)

UPDATE 07:24 UTC:
– Power has been lost in some areas as transmission poles were knocked down by landslides
– Rail traffic has been halted in the region
– 6,000 tents, 6,000 quilts and 6,000 coats are distributed to the population

UPDATE 06:47 UTC:
– Death toll has reached 7.
– In addition, 20000 households have damage of some form.

UPDATE:
– At least 6 are dead according to new reports. The M5.7 earthquake had a 14km depth, and was 15km from Yiliang county and 30 kilometers from Zhaotong City. Damage is expected in both locations.
– The earthquake was felt as far as Chengdu, hundreds of km from the epicenter

Zhaotong Prefecture is home to 5.74 million people but has a reasonably low GDP of around CNY39 billion  per year (6.2 billion USD). It is mainly agricultural in nature. The exposed capital stock according to CATDAT in terms of net capital infrastructure is around 14.2 billion USD, of which around 2.1 billion USD is in the most affected areas including Yiliang County. Hence we are looking at a damage bill in at least the 100s of millions of USD if directly impacted. The rural net capita income is about CNY2900 (around 500USD).

UPDATE:- At least 20,000 rooms (around 6,000 houses) are destroyed at first estimates, with 6000 tents being sent to the region and many other disaster supplies.

Epicenter right by the city.

UPDATE:- The dual quakes hit about 57 minutes apart, both of around M5.6, with much panic.
We are still waiting on damage reports but know that much damage has occurred. More than 150 people from disaster services have rushed to the scene.

Over 6.7 million people live within 100km of this quake. Yiliang county itself has around 500,000 inhabitants and is extremely mountainous having differences of 520m above sea level to 2800m within the county.

Yiliang

51 minutes after the event, 39 people were sent to the area from the Seismological Bureau.

According to Yunnan Yiliang radio and television reporter sent to CCTV’s news, a 5.6 earthquake occurred in Yunnan Yiliang, some houses have collapsed and landslides hindered transportation.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/09/07/deaths-and-destruction-in-m5-6-shallow-quake-in-china/

Earthquake Xinjiang Mountains, China

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Very strong moderately dangerous earthquake in the Xinjiang mountains, China

Last update: August 12, 2012 at 12:47 pm by By

The USGS shaking map below is based on a Magnitude of 6.3 at a depth of 9.7 km. The Chinese parameters would considerably weaken the shaking pattern.

Shaking map USGS – courtesy USGS

Update 11:30 UTC : Chinese seismological agency reports a Magnitude of 6.2 at a depth of 30 km. The biggest danger for this earthquake is some landslides in the steeper valleys. Landslides triggered by earthquakes are the most important secondary damage element after tsunamis of course.

A M6.2 earthquake occurred a shortwhile in Hotan district, Xinjiang China
Early reports are mentioning a very shallow earthquake.
We are currently trying to verify the data in China but their servers are down.
In a first overview of the location, the epicenter looks to be in a wilderness area in the mountains with no or very few people around.
Theoretical intensity should not go over VI MMI (strong shaking).
Based on other specialized organizations, the number of people in a radius of 100 km around the epicenter is max. 10000

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw 6.3 (USGS) and Ms 6.2 (China)
UTC Time : Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 10:47:06 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 06:47:06 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 9.7 km (USGS) and 30 km (China)
Geo-location(s) :
Approx. 100 km of Keriya, China
Approx. 100 km of Keriya, China
282 km (175 miles) ESE of Hotan, China

Update 12:40UTC : As we are in a very remote area of China, it may take many hours (probably until tomorrow morning local time) before emergency teams (both aid and assessment teams) have reached the small settlements in the mountains (mountains as high as 6820 meter).

Earthquake epicenter mountains – beautiful but with many earthquake faults – image courtesy and copyright Garmo92

Update 11:47 UTC : The closest populated centers near the epicenter are Keriya and Niya. We do not have specific population numbers for Keriya and Niya, but Keriya county counts 220,000 people and Niya (Minfeng) county 30,000. The biggest city in the greater area is Hotan (also seismological headquarters), but Hotan is far away from the danger zone (282 km).

Update 11:40 UTC : There are NO hydrodams or Nuclear Plants in the vicinity of the epicenter (source GDACS)

Update 11:34 UTC : WAPMERR, the theoretical damage data engine is predicting 0 to 10 deaths and 0 to 100 injured. These numbers refer only to shaking and NOT to landslides. At Earthquake-report.com we think that besides landslides and based on the depth of 30 km, no important damage or injuries will be sustained.
Initial predictions like we are making are taking into account as much as data as we can find. Often local obtained data are the most accurate as these organizations are often highly specialized and have a lot of instruments in the earthquake area. The more instruments, the more accurate data are! The WAPMERR data are based on the UGS data (in this case) which refer to a M6.3 and a depth of less than 10 km. If the Chinese parameters are correct (what we believe), there is a huge difference in damage potential in between the 2 data sets.

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/08/12/very-strong-moderately-dangerous-earthquake-in-the-xinjiang-mountains-china/

Xinjiang, China Earthquake

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Xinjiang, China earthquake – collapsed houses, +37 injured, 40 workers and 80 people trapped, 500 houses collapsed, 22000 people affected + more to come

Last update: June 30, 2012 at 10:38 am by By

Update 10:25 UTC
– The damage toll is getting heavier every hour
– Most of the houses in the area have cracks in the walls
– luckily no killed people so far, but based on our China experience and the remote areas still to be inspected, the current state of damage and injuries is only temporary.
– The Chinese seismological agency has recorded 13 aftershocks of M3.0 or higher. 2 aftershocks surpassed the 4 level, an M4.2 at 08:46 local time and a M4.3 at 15:35 local time. All aftershocks have epicenters in the same area and the depths are more or less similar than the mainshock.
– Water distribution, roads, electricity, classrooms, hospitals, offices and other public facilities have various degrees of damage. Relief work is underway.

Big rocks on State Highway 2017 after a landslide – image courtesy and copyright Chinanews.com

Very important Update 06:47 UTC :
– a lot of houses collapsed during the shaking
– at least 37 people were injured
– As of 10:30 local time, there were 7223 households, containing 22000 people affected
– 40 workers have been trapped as well as 80 people when a landslide occurred at State Highway 217, Xinyuan county. The 40 workers were near a mountain top, and 80 people were at hot springs.70 police to the scene to conduct the rescue. An extra 40 soldiers and 10 local police were also sent later.
– 1650 rooms (around 500 houses) have been destroyed, 11300 rooms with moderate damage, and 8050 rooms with minor damage.
– 684 stalls have been damaged including 258 which collapsed killing 112 head of cattle and 245 sheep
– There have also been landslides reported given the torrential rain in the area combined with the shaking.
– temporary blackouts in a wide area
– emergency forces are currently trying to reach more distant locations. Chinese authorities have dispatched 220 assessment staff (analyzing what is needed and inspecting the damage) and 4500 specializeed SAR rescue troops.
– The quake also triggered landslides and caused cave-ins on several national and regional highways in Xinjiang, bringing traffic to a halt and making emergency help extremely difficult
– strong shaking was experienced in Urumqi, the capital of the province
– Two earthquakes measuring more than 7 on the Richter scale have jolted the region since 1900.

Emergency and rescue troops are helping a woman getting away from her partly collapsed house – image courtesy 92jn.com

 

Update 00:06 UTC :  We will have to wait at least another 3 to 4 hours before the assessment and emergency teams have reached the epicenter area. Trains have been stopped on various rails when the safety system enforced an emergency stop. Rails are currently being expected to avoid further problems (it is known that earthquakes often bend rails due to ground motion)

Update 23:52 UTC :  Emergency plans have been activated. The Chinese authorities are talking from a “larger earthquake disaster” although they have no detailed information yet.  Chinese media are indicating that SAR and assessment personnel has been rushed to the earthquake zone. They have the ability to help people and will tell the disasters offices what material they will need. Chinese will inspect EVERY house for eventual damage in the greater earthquake area. Chinese emergency forces are not perfect but based on what we have seen in the past earthquakes we have followed, ER calls them extremely well organized and disciplined people.

Update 23:48 UTC :  The area is considered in China as very scenic and has some tourist infrastructure. We expect the majority of tourists to be Chinese.

Update 23:30 UTC :  Hongqiaolong looks to us the closest village to the epicenter. The epicenter is however poorly constrained (10 km more or less in another direction may be a big difference). This village and the nearby village of Wulan Hate, are called by ER at extremely high risk for damage and injuries is approx. 20 km from the epicenter. The village is located at an altitude of 2800 meter, the mountain range were the epicenter took place at approx. 3400 meter. The picture shows the traditional Chinese villages which we know are very vulnerable for earthquake damage.

The village of Hongqiaolong is at approx. 20 km from the epicenter. – Click on the picture to make it bigger

Update 22:58 UTC :  Chinese seismological services have reported 7 M+3 aftershocks so far.

Update 22:55 UTC :  Houses in a 50 km area are mostly simple and made from Brick, rocks and adobe. Generally spoken Chinese houses have little resistance against earthquakes. New constructions however are build with a very high earthquake resistance.

Update 22:53 UTC :  Some tourists living in the Xinjiang Nalati prairie cabins told the Chinese media that the earthquake duration was more than 20 seconds (numbers are very variable), and very strong shaking. Among the many residents in Urumqi, the capital was awakened by the earthquake, panic, people running down the stairs to escape (NEVER do this but remain in the house close to an inner wall until the shaking has stopped).

Update 22:42 UTC :  Blackouts are reported in the greater epicenter area.

Update 22:35 UTC :  the earthquake was strongly felt in Urumqi, Shihezi, Changji, Tacheng, Usu and Kuitun. People in these cities are standing in the streets out of fear for more aftershocks. None of these cities would have experienced a theoretical strong shaking (although people are talking different of course)

Update 22:25 UTC : People living in Urumqi (Urumqi  is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China) are reporting heavy shaking that lasted 1 minute.  This is an additional reason to be concerned. The longer a strong shaking is lasting, the more chance on severe damage. Urumqi is located at approx. 200 km from the epicenter.

Update 22:16 UTC : The Xinjiang seismological bureau is currently organizing SAR teams to be dispatched to the epicenter area. SAR = Search and Rescue teams

Update 22:15 UTC : At least (but probably a lot more) aftershocks have hit the epicenter area. The 2 strongest ones measured M3.9.

Update 22:12 UTC : Chinese authorities have updated the data and are reporting now M6.6 at a depth of 7 km.

Update 22:10 UTC : Chinese seismological staff is among the best trained staff in the world. These people are very well organized and take swift action whenever an earthquake happens. China has a long history of cruel earthquakes.

Update 22:07 UTC : It will take many hours before an in-depth damage report comes in as the epicenter area is very remote and as roads my be blocked by avalanches, damages road cover etc.

Update 22:04 UTC : The shaking has been well felt in the neighboring countries like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Update 21:58 UTC : The shaking MMI data given below are based on a Magnitude of 6.3. The Chinese authorities however are reporting a 6.7 magnitude at an even shallower depth.

Update 21:54 UTC : One of the biggest treats in this area are landslides.

Landscape approx. 15 km from the epicenter – image courtesy 老何

Update 21:53 UTC : There are luckily NO hydrodams or Nuclear Plants in the greater epicenter area.

Update 21:51 UTC : The landscape in the area tells us high slopes on a high plateau but also a lot of soft land in the area.

Update 21:45 UTC : USGS is predicting a VII MMI (very strong shaking for 1,000 people. 9000 people should feel a strong shaking.

Update 21:45 UTC : GDACS report that 5 people are living in a 5 km radius, 27 in a 10 km radius, 483 in a 20 km radius and 8664 in a 50 km radius. 183,832 in a 100 km radius. We call the 50 km radius at risk for this earthquake.

Update 21:42 UTC : Earthquake-Report.com calls a radius of 50 km at high risk for serious damage and injuries

Update 21:40 UTC : 150,000 people are living in a 100 km radius

Update 21:37 UTC : The Chinese seismological authorities reported a depth of 7 km at a Magnitude of 6.7.

The preliminary Magnitude reported at EMSC is 6.3 at a depth of 2 km
The preliminary Magnitude reported at USGS  is 6.3 at a depth of 2 km
The epicenter is located in the Xinjiang mountains at the crossroads between the O217 and G218. Nearest big city (at a safe distance) : Xinjuan

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.3 (USGS) 6.7 (CEN)
UTC Time : Friday, June 29, 2012 at 21:07:32 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 05:07:32 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 9.8 km (USGS) 7 km (CEN)
Geo-location(s) :
Closest village / city Gongnaisigouxiang at approx. 25 km
99 km (61 miles) S of Dushanzi, China
Xinjuan at +100 km
151 km (94 miles) SW (230°) from Shihezi, Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang, China earthquake – 52 injured, 3000+ houses (7500 rooms) destroyed, 155000 people affected, $200 million US damage

Sichuan-Yunnan Border Dangerous Earthquake

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Shallow earthquake on the Sichuan/Yunnan Border – 2 killed, 17 seriously, 86 slightly injured

Last update: June 24, 2012 at 2:47 pm by By

This damaging earthquake has hit on the Sichuan-Yunnan border. Both seismological bureaus are sending teams to survey the damage.

UPDATE:- 2 killed, 17 seriously injured and 86 slightly injured.

UPDATE:- A second person has been found dead in the rubble. This value may rise given the fact that communications are down within the epicentral region.

Houses have collapsed in the epicentral region.

Earthquake damage (Courtesy: China News)

The Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department, Yunnan Provincial Committee for Disaster Reduction and the provincial Civil Affairs Department has launched three emergency responses, and are  transporting to the disaster area 300 tents, 500 blankets, 500 coats. At the same time, the Working Group of the provincial Civil Affairs Department is helping guide disaster relief work.

UPDATE:- The earthquake has occurred in the Ninglang-Yanyuan region.

1 person has been killed and at least 2 seriously injured and 100 people have been slightly injured. In Ninglang!

Damage is expected to be greater than 30 million dollars via historic damage estimates.

PAGER has determined from the algorithm that the earthquake will cause between 10 and 100 million dollars damage, and 0 deaths (30% chance of 1-10 deaths). The predicted intensity is VII.

The location of the Chinese Quake (Courtesy:Yunnan Seismological Bureau)

This earthquake is CATDAT RED.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : M5.7 (CEA)
UTC Time :  7:59:32, Sunday 24th June 2012
Local time at epicenter : 15:59:32, Sunday 24th June 2012
Depth (Hypocenter) : 11km
Geo-location(s) : Close to Lijiang City. At least 900,000 people live within a damaging radius.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/06/24/shallow-earthquake-on-the-sichuanyunnan-border-1-killed-200-injured/

‘Red Deer Cave’ People — New Species?

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‘Red Deer Cave’ people, possibly a new human species?

Newly identified partial skeletons of “mysterious humans” excavated at two caves in southwest China display an unique mix of primitive and modern anatomical features, scientists say.

“Their skulls are anatomically unique. They look very different to all modern humans, whether alive today or in Africa 150,000 years ago,” said evolutionary biologist Darren Curnoe, the lead author of the study, from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

The fossils found at excavation sites in Longlin Cave, in Guangxi Province, and the Maludong Cave, in Yunnan Province, indicate that the stone-aged people had short, flat faces and lacked a modern chin. They had thick skull bones, a rounded brain case, prominent brow ridges and a moderate-size brain.

They were dubbed the “Red Deer Cave” people because scientists say these prehistoric people hunted extinct red deer and cooked them in the cave at Maludong, where four of the five partial skeletal fossils were found.

Whether the Red Deer Cave people are indeed a new species indicating a new evolutionary line or whether they are a very early population of modern humans remains a controversial topic of discussion among scientists.

The team of Australian and Chinese researchers remains cautiously optimistic when it comes to classifying what they have unearthed.

“The evidence is quite fairly balanced at the moment. It’s weighted towards the idea that the Red Deer Cave people might represent a new population, possibly a new species,” Curnoe said.

Details of the discovery are published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

Archeological evidence dates these prehistoric hunters and gatherers to 14,500 to 11,500 years ago, indicating that for a sliver of time in East Asia, the Red Deer Cave people may have shared the landscape with modern-looking people who displayed the beginnings of farming.

Despite Asia being the largest subcontinent, the fossil record for human evolution remains slim. The vast majority of prehistoric archeology has focused on Europe and Africa, scientists say.

“Understanding the fossil records of East Asia is the missing link to our overall understanding of human evolution,” Curnoe said.

The Maludong site had actually been excavated the first time by the Chinese in 1989. At that time, several bags of fossils were found, but it was only in 2008 that the site was studied and the remains analyzed by Curnoe and his team of researchers.

The age of the cave sites was determined by collecting sediment samples and tested using radioactive carbon dating.

At the Longlin Cave, the remains of a lower jaw set in a bed of sediment were found by a geologist back in 1979 and rediscovered in a the basement laboratory of one of the Chinese researchers in 2009. The bones first had to be removed from the sediment rock. Then, using a CT Scan 3D, models of the skull were made, showing both the prominent primitive and modern features.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the human fossil record, paleoanthropologists say, more conclusive DNA testing is required.

Initial DNA testing conducted on the fossils did not show evidence of human DNA, but Curnoe and his team will push forward.

“If we are successful in extracting DNA, it will give us a really accurate understanding of precisely who these people are and where they might fit in the human evolutionary tree,” he said.

“We are trying to understand the common story. What unites us all? Where do we come from? In understanding our evolutionary past, this might help us understand where we are today and where we might be going,” Curnoe added.

from:    http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/15/red-deer-cave-people-possibly-a-new-human-species/

Xinjiang Desert Earthquake

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Strong earthquake in the Xinjiang desert, China

Last update: March 9, 2012 at 12:31 am by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.8
UTC Time : Thursday, March 08, 2012 at 22:50:08 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Friday, March 09, 2012 at 06:50:08 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 35.5 km
Geo-location(s) :
approx. 120 km from Aral (closest bigger city)
214 km (132 miles) SSE of Aksu, Xinjiang, China
282 km (175 miles) NNE of Hotan, Xinjiang, China   

–

China Xinjiang earthquake March 9, 2012

Update 23:54 UTC :
– Xinjiang is the Chinese province which is also called the “Uyghur Autonomous Region“. Xinjiang is often hit bu strong, very strong to even massive earthquakes.
– Aral, the closest city to the epicenter (approx. 120 km) has a population of 200,000.

Update 23:54 UTC :
– Chinese authorities are very skilled in managing earthquake response and special teams will be dispatched to the greater epicenter area. Every crack in a house is recorded and logged, which makes the Chinese statistics among the most detailed in the world.

Update 23:47 UTC :
– The greater epicenter area is Taklamakan Desert (see image below).  Peak ground acceleration is the direct epicenter area is limited.

Update 23:34 UTC :
– The Chinese Seismological Agency (to be trusted) reports a Magnitude of 6.0 at a depth of 30 km, a little stronger than USGS.

Update 23:30 UTC :
– WAPMERR, the theoretical damage engine has calculated that this earthquake will normally not make victims. The max. injured is 0 to 10.

Update 23:28 UTC :
– USGS has calculated (theoretical engines) that 4,000 people will experience a strong shaking, 3,000 a moderate shaking and 508,000 people a light shaking.
– Chinese  houses are mostly build in brick and adobe and are very vulnerable for earthquake damage.

Update 23:22 UTC :
-Luckily the epicenter of this earthquake is located in an unpopulated area. GDACS gas calculated that only 3,523 people are living within a radius of 50 km. 7,224 people in a radius of 100 km and 581,583 people within a radius of 200 km.
– Earthquake-Report.com estimates that only the people living within a radius of 50 km have a potential danger of damage.

Update 23:18 UTC :
– Earthquakes with this magnitude can be very dangerous in China.

Update 23:14 UTC :
– (Preliminary) data from other seismological agencies :
EMSC : M 5.9 at 40 km
GEOFON : M 6.0 at 10 km

Desert landscape in the epicenter area – image courtesy lean88888

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/08/dangerous-earthquake-in-xinjiang-china/

What Are Those Lines in the Gobi Desert?

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Symbols in China Desert Are Spy Satellite Targets, Expert Says

Natalie Wolchover, Life’s Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Date: 15 November 2011 Time: 05:41 PM ET


A strange zigzag pattern in the Gobi Desert in China. Coordinates: 40.452107,93.742118. Credit: Copyright 2011 Google - Imagery copyright Cnes/Spot Image, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye
A strange zigzag pattern in the Gobi Desert in China. Coordinates: 40.452107,93.742118.
CREDIT: Copyright 2011 Google – Imagery copyright Cnes/Spot Image, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye

Newfound Google Maps images have revealed an array of mysterious structures and patterns etched into the surface of China’s Gobi Desert. The media — from mainstream to fringe — has wildly speculated that they might be Chinese weapons-testing sites, satellite calibration targets, street maps of Washington, D.C., and New York City, or even messages to (or from) aliens.

It turns out that they are almost definitely used to calibrate China’s spy satellites.

So says Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA’s Mars missions. Hill works with images of the Martian surface taken by rovers and satellites, as well as data from Earth-orbiting NASA instruments.

The grids of zigzagging white lines seen in two of the images — the strangest of the various desert structures — are spy satellite calibration targets. Satellite cameras focus on the grids, which measure approximately 0.65 miles wide by 1.15 miles long, and use them to orient themselves in space. [Gallery: Mysterious Structures In China’s Gobi Desert]

The existence of these calibration targets may seem suspicious or revelatory, but Hill said it really isn’t; China was already known to operate spy satellites, and many other countries (including the United States) do so as well. In fact, the U.S. also uses calibration targets. “An example I found just now is a calibration target for the Corona spy satellites, built back in the 1960s, down in Casa Grande, Ariz., [at coordinates] 32° 48′ 24.74″ N, 111° 43′ 21.30″ W,” Hill told Life’s Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience.

The 65-foot-wide white lines that make up China’s grids are not made of reflective metal as many news sites have suggested. “They have gaps in them where they cross little natural drainage channels and the lines themselves are not perfectly filled in, with lots of little streaks and uneven coverage. I think it’s safe to say these are some kind of paint,” Hill said, noting that if they were made of white dust or chalk, the wind would have caused them to streak visibly.

The calibration targets are larger than might have been expected, he said, suggesting that the satellite cameras they are being used to calibrate have surprisingly poor ground resolution.

Another strange image taken not far away shows a Stonehenge-like arrangement of objects radiating outward, with fighter jets parked at its center. “This is almost certainly a calibration/test target for orbital radar instruments,” Hill said. “Since a significant amount of radar return is due to differences in surface roughness, they’re probably testing ways of making the areas around planes ‘bumpy’ enough that the planes are partially masked.”

In other words, the Chinese military probably uses radar instruments to send signals down at the target from above, and determine how much radar bounces back to the instruments from the fighter jets, and how much gets scattered by the Stonehenge-like arrangement of bumps surrounding them. From this, the country’s radar experts can learn how best to hide China’s military operations from other countries’ satellites, and possibly get clues for how to find carefully hidden objects in other countries. However, the fact that the planes are made out of metal will increase their radar return and make it very hard to completely mask them, Hill said.

Since the initial reports of these structures became widespread, industrious readers of the gadget blog Gizmodo have spotted a few more interesting structures in China. One, Hill said, appears to be a weapons testing zone, perhaps for evaluating explosives. Elsewhere, a giant grid resembles a Yagi antenna array. Instruments like this can be used for any number of things, such as weather tracking, space weather tracking and high-altitude atmospheric research.

Hill noted that most of these structures are quite closer to each other. “I think we’re seeing some sort of military zone/test range, which explains the large amount of equipment and technology in an otherwise remote area,” he said. “Sometimes the truth can be just as interesting, if not more so, than the conspiracies that people come up with.”

 

from:    http://www.livescience.com/17052-mysterious-symbols-china-desert-spy-satellite-targets-expert.html

Sichuan China Earthquake

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Dangerous earthquake in Sichuan, China

Last update: November 1, 2011 at 12:11 am by By 

available

Seismic Hazard map in Sichuan earthquake November 1 2011 – map courtesy USGS

Update 01/11 – 00:08 UTC : No report yet from the very well organized Sichuan seismological agency. We expect the first reports on the situation in the early UTC hours.

Update : The seismic hazard map at right shows that the epicenter of the earthquake is located in an area with limited ground acceleration.

Update : We fear eventual damage and/or injuries in a radius of 20 km around the epicenter

Update : In 1976 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake at a distance of 104 km from the current epicenter killed 41 people

Update : Earthquake-Report.com calls this earthquake moderately dangerousbecause of the time of occurrence and the very vulnerable houses in the area.

Update : A V MMI is expected by USGS for 213,000 people

Update : A weak shaking has been felt in Jiangyou, but this is at least 150 km away from the epicenter

for more and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/31/dangerous-earthquake-in-sichuan-china/

Sand Formation in China

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Huge Sand Formation Reported Southwest of Xining, China

© 2011 by Linda Moulton Howe

 

“… very quite regular, straight lines form the perfect circle
and the diameter of a rough estimate of 1 to 2 kilometers (.62 to 1.24 miles).”

– Chinese traveler on Qinghai Highway southwest of Xining, China

 


One of several images posted August 17, 2011, at Chinese website, Awaker.net.


Xining, Qinghai, China (upper right red circle). Red road is the Qinghai Highway.
The Awaker.net news story says the huge lines and circles pressed into
sand is at a remote location about three hours from Xining towards Tibet on the
Qinghai Highway. Madoi (middle red circle) is about 200 miles southwest of
Xining and might be the region of the sand formation.
The Tibet border is the orange/red boundary line south of Madoi.
Lhasa, Tibet, is the bottom left red circle.

to read more, go to:   http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1882&category=Environment

 

 

Xinjiang Earthquake

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Earthquake China today (Xinjiang) : 26 people injured + 80 collapsed rooms

Last update: August 11, 2011 at 2:09 pm by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell

Earthquake overview : A new potentially damaging earthquake occurred in the Xinjiang Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture Artux, Kashi Jiashi County. The shallow depth of 8 km combined with the locally measured magnitude of5.8 makes this earthquake extremely dangerous for people living near the epicenter.

China August 11 2011 epicenter area landscape – panoramio picture by littlexu – http://www.panoramio.com/photo/550897

to read more, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/08/11/new-potentially-damaging-earthquake-in-china-xinjiang/