Heads up, everyone! 🌟 A powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Wushi County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and experts say aftershocks are on the way.
According to Han Yanyan, a senior engineer at the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), this quake is likely a mainshock-aftershock sequence. That means we can expect a series of smaller quakes to follow around the epicenter. Stay alert! 🔔
By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, there had already been 40 quakes of magnitude 3 or above, with the biggest aftershock hitting magnitude 5.3. Han mentioned that strong aftershocks could happen in the coming days, so it's important to stay informed.
This quake is considered shallow, with a focal depth of 22 kilometers. That's why people felt it pretty strongly across various cities in Xinjiang, including Aksu, Artux, Kashgar, Ili, Korla, and Karamay. The good news is that the population within 20 kilometers of the epicenter is super sparse.
Why all the shaking? 🤔 The Tianshan seismic zone, where this happened, is known for its tectonic activity due to the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It's like two giants pushing against each other! This area experiences a magnitude-7 or above earthquake roughly every seven years.
Stay safe out there, and keep an eye out for updates! 💪
Reference(s):
Aftershocks expected after M7.1 earthquake hits NW China's Xinjiang
cgtn.com
