Geosphere Journal Entry

Geosphere Journal Entry

Earthquake Slams Western China (April 15, 2010)

A deadly magnitude 6.9 quake struck the county of Yushu in Qinghai Province, found on the Tibetan Plateau of western China. The strong quake leveled 15,000 homes, killing at least 600 people and injuring more than 9,000 others. The toll is expected to climb as rescuers dig through the rubble searching for survivors. Thousands of homeless people were forced to sleep in the chilly outdoors, with night temperatures dropping below freezing.

The quake's epicenter was 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of the city of Qambo in Tibet, 1,200 miles (1,800 km) southwest of China's capital Beijing. The shallow quake struck only 6 miles (10 km) below the surface, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was followed by several aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.8.

The seismic stress that builds up along the many faults of western China can be traced to the massive collision between the Indo-Australian plate, which carries India, with the Eurasian plate that began over 50 million years ago. The collision has thrust up the majestic Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Earlier this year, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Sichuan, still recovering from a violent magnitude 7.9 quake in May 2008 that killed more than 80,000 people. China's most deadly quake in recent memory struck Tangshun in 1976, killing 240,000 people.