2009 Yunnan earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Yunnan earthquake was a magnitude
5.7 earthquake
which struck Yunnan
province, People's Republic of China
on 9 July 2009. At least one person died and over 300 were injured, with over 50 of these sustaining serious injuries.
(19:19:27 local time), a magnitude 5.7
earthquake with an epicentre at 25.619°N 101.086°E occurred. The epicentre was in Guantun, 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from the province's capital Kunming
and 98 kilometres (60.9 mi) east north east of Dali. The depth of the event was 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). Eight aftershock
s were recorded. A magnitude 5.0
aftershock occurred on July 10 at 09:02:04 UTC (17:02:04 local time). Its epicentre was located at 25.627°N 100.949°E. In total, there were over 8 aftershocks.
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
5.7 earthquake
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...
which struck Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
province, 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...
on 9 July 2009. At least one person died and over 300 were injured, with over 50 of these sustaining serious injuries.
Background and tectonics
At 11:19:27 UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
(19:19:27 local time), a magnitude 5.7
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
earthquake with an epicentre at 25.619°N 101.086°E occurred. The epicentre was in Guantun, 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from the province's capital Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
and 98 kilometres (60.9 mi) east north east of Dali. The depth of the event was 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). Eight aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
s were recorded. A magnitude 5.0
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
aftershock occurred on July 10 at 09:02:04 UTC (17:02:04 local time). Its epicentre was located at 25.627°N 100.949°E. In total, there were over 8 aftershocks.
Damage and casualties
The earthquake destroyed 10,000 houses and damaged a further 30,000. One person died and over 300 people were injured, with over 50 suffering serious injuries. Yunnan province's civil affairs department was dispatching 4,500 tents, and 3,000 quilts as part of the disaster relief efforts. Also, a coal mine collapsed in the epicentral area within 50 miles.See also
- 1996 Lijiang earthquake1996 Lijiang earthquakeThe 1996 Lijiang earthquake, which occurred at 7:14 PM on 3 February 1996 near Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China, measured 7.0 on the Richter scale.200 people died in the earthquake and 14,000 were injured, 3,800 of them seriously...
- 2011 Yunnan earthquake2011 Yunnan earthquakeThe 2011 Yunnan earthquake was a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred on 10 March 2011 at 12:58 CST, with its epicenter in Yingjiang County, Yunnan, People's Republic of China, near the Burmese border. A total of 26 people died and 313 were injured with 133 in serious condition...
- 2008 Yingjiang earthquakes2008 Yingjiang earthquakesThe 2008 Yingjiang Earthquakes were a series of major earthquakes ranging from surface wave magnitude 4.1 to 5.9 that struck Yingjiang County, Yunnan province, China between August 19 and September 3, 2008. It caused 5 deaths, 21 serious injuries, and RMB 2.7 billion in direct economic damage...