Chinese rescue team heading out to earthquake-affected areas from their base in Hotan, China's far west Xinjiang region on February 12, 2014
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake which struck northwest China's remote and sparsely-populated
Xinjiang region yesterday has affected over 7,800 people as seismologists warned that the powerful tremble signals a seismically active period for the Earth.
The quake was followed by a series of high-intensity aftershocks but no casualties were reported. Sun Shihong, a researcher with the China Earthquake Networks Centre, said yesterday's earthquake signalled the beginning of a seismically active period for the Earth.
Since records began in 1900, areas within 100 km of the epicenter of the quake have been hit by 13 earlier earthquakes with a magnitude of five or above, according to monitoring data, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The largest two quakes, both measuring 7.3-magnitude, struck Minfeng County in 1924 and an uninhabited area in Yutian County in 2008. Experts said the area affected by quake yesterday shared the same tectonic plate with Wenchuan in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province.
Wenchuan was devastated by an 8.0-magnitude quake in 2008, and Yushu was hit by a 7.1-magnitude quake in 2010. Over 800 aftershocks were reported in the province after yesterday's quake.
The epicenter, in a sparsely populated area with an average altitude of 5,000 metres, is more than 50 km from the nearest settlement, Aqqan Township in Yutian County, Hotan Prefecture.
About 7,800 residents in six counties of Hotan had been affected by the tremor, with 982 relocated to safety, local government said in a statement. The quake also toppled 157 houses and damaged 3,297 others to varying degrees, inflicting direct economic losses of about 41.65 million yuan (USD 6.82 million) the report said.
A total of 811 aftershocks had been monitored in Yutian, with the biggest measuring 5.7-magnitude yesterday and 12 measuring between 4 and 4.9-magnitude.