Asia is a seismically dangerous territory. In particular, an earthquake in China of 7-8 points is not uncommon. The destructive element claims tens of thousands of lives in a matter of minutes. One of the worst was the 1976 China earthquake.
Geography of the country
China is the largest country in Asia, occupying the entire east of this part of the world. It is on the 3rd place in the world in terms of occupied area, second only to Russia and Canada in size. In terms of population, China surpasses all other countries on Earth.
Geographically, China occupies the Eurasian tectonic plate, which collides with the Hindustan plate from the southwest. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau were formed at the site of the collision, the modification of which under the influence of the geological activity of these regions continues to this day.
The collision of 2 tectonic plates is the main cause of seismic activity in China. Strong earthquakes of 7-8 points are not uncommon here. They claim the lives of tens of thousands of victims in a matter of minutes.
Destructive earthquakes in China
History testifies to the following tragedies in China:
- 1290 - shaking in Chaikhli with a force of 6.7 points. About 100 thousand people became victims.
- 1556 - the strongest earthquake in China in Shenxi with a magnitude of up to 8 points. At least 800 thousand people died. A huge number of people remained on the list of missing people, which gives every reason to believe that about a million Chinese were victims.
- 1920 - on the territory of Gansu there were tremors with a force of 7.8 points. More than 240 thousand people died.
- 1927 - in the province of Nan Xiang was shaking with a force of 7.6 points. More than 40 thousand inhabitants of China became victims.
- 1932 - an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 in the city of Changma killed more than 70 thousand residents.
China, Tangshan, 1976
In the summer of 1976, there was a terrible earthquake in China, in the city of Tangshan, recognized as the most destructive in the 20th century. Its magnitude reached 8.2 points. It lasted only 15 seconds, but this natural disaster wiped the city from the face of the earth, destroying all the buildings almost to dust. On a summer night on July 28, 1976, about 250,000 people died in China. However, most world experts agree that official sources have greatly underestimated the number of victims. The real death toll is at least 650 thousand, it can reach 800 thousand people. In its geological nature, the earthquake in China in 1976 is comparable to the terrible natural disaster of 1556.
In memory of the dead, a stele was erected in the center of the rebuilt Tangshan. Real tragic events formed the basis of many television films. The most famous is the film directed by Feng Xiaogang "Earthquake", released on the screen in 2010. The film demonstrates the amazing and uncontrollable power of the elements, shows how a few tragic seconds can break the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
New story
Earthquakes continue to bring disaster to Asia's largest country:
- 1999 - Taiwan was shaking with a force of 7.6 points. More than 10 thousand people suffered, about 2.3 thousand dead.
- 2008 - another catastrophe in Eastern Sichuan with a force of 7.9 points. About 90 thousand people died, more than 350 thousand were injured.
- 2010 - Qinghai province was shaking with a magnitude of 7.1. Fortunately, this time the specialists informed about the impending catastrophe in time - and the residents managed to evacuate, which helped to avoid a large number of victims.
- 2014 - Yunnan earthquake of 6.1 points. More than 600 people died, with a total of up to 3,000 injured.
Given the high seismic activity of the region and the high population density, developments in the field of research and prediction of possible tremors in order to timely evacuate residents from dangerous areas are very relevant for China.
