2009 Xinjiang earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Xinjiang earthquake is an earthquake
that occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China
. It occurred at 9:47 a.m in Qapqal on January 25, 2009.
was at 43.3 degrees north latitude and 80.9 degrees east longitude at a depth of 10 km according to the China Earthquake Administration. The quake occurred 700 km from the regional capital Urumqi
.
and Zhaosu County
were affected. They have been relocated to schools, government buildings and tents, said a regional civil affairs department official. No casualties have been reported so far.
A total of 198 houses collapsed and 2,928 were damaged. The direct economic loss was estimated at 21 million yuan
($US 3.1 million).
the Xinjiang earthquake occurred on the last day of the year of the rat
. Previously the year of the rat was known as a negative year for China including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
, 2008 Tibetan unrest
, 2008 milk scandal
and many more events.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It occurred at 9:47 a.m in Qapqal on January 25, 2009.
Location
The epicenterEpicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was at 43.3 degrees north latitude and 80.9 degrees east longitude at a depth of 10 km according to the China Earthquake Administration. The quake occurred 700 km from the regional capital Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
.
Damages
The quake measured 5.0 on the Richter scale on Sunday. It has affected more than 4,500 people and caused house collapses and damages. In total, 4,549 people in the Xibe Autonomous County of QapqalQapqal Xibe Autonomous County
Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang is the only Xibe autonomous county of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 4,430 square kilometers and a population 160,000...
and Zhaosu County
Zhaosu County
The Zhaosu County is a county situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It contains an area of 10,455 km2. According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 150,000....
were affected. They have been relocated to schools, government buildings and tents, said a regional civil affairs department official. No casualties have been reported so far.
A total of 198 houses collapsed and 2,928 were damaged. The direct economic loss was estimated at 21 million yuan
Chinese yuan
The yuan is the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The yuan is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi.A yuán is also known colloquially as a kuài . One yuán is divided into 10 jiǎo or colloquially máo...
($US 3.1 million).
Zodiac
According to the Chinese ZodiacChinese zodiac
The Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle...
the Xinjiang earthquake occurred on the last day of the year of the rat
Rat (zodiac)
The Rat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Rat is associated with the earthly branch symbol 子...
. Previously the year of the rat was known as a negative year for China including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...
, 2008 Tibetan unrest
2008 Tibetan unrest
The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
, 2008 milk scandal
2008 Chinese milk scandal
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in the People's Republic of China, involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, adulterated with melamine....
and many more events.