According to the official measurement of the China Seismological Network, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in Wushi County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang at 2:9 on January 23, with a focal depth of 22 kilometers and an epicenter located at 41.26 degrees north latitude and 78.63 degrees east longitude.
Since then there have been many aftershocks.
The China Earthquake Administration is currently organizing emergency consultations. Han Yanyan, a senior engineer at the China Seismological Network Center, analyzed the characteristics of this earthquake.
What type of earthquake is this?
Han Yanyan, senior engineer at the China Seismological Network Center: Based on comprehensive analysis of regional tectonic characteristics, historical seismic activity levels, sequence characteristics and geophysical observations, it is believed that the main and secondary types of this earthquake are more likely.
What are the characteristics of this earthquake? Why are earthquakes felt so strongly in Xinjiang?
Han Yanyan, senior engineer at China Seismological Network Center: The Tianshan seismic zone is located in Central Asia, with the Pamir Plateau and Tarim Basin in the south, and the Kazakh Platform and Junggar Basin in the north.
Since the Cenozoic Era, due to the long-range effects of the strong collision and continuous compression of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate, this area has been one of the areas with strong tectonic movements in China. An earthquake of magnitude 7 or above occurs once every seven years on average. The most recent earthquake A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Tajikistan on February 23, 2023.
Due to its large magnitude and focal depth of 22 kilometers, this earthquake is a shallow earthquake, so it will cause many earthquakes to be felt relatively strongly.
Is it possible that there will be strong aftershocks?
Han Yanyan, senior engineer at the China Seismological Network Center: As of 3:40, 13 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or above have been recorded, and the largest aftershock recorded was magnitude 5.3.
The magnitude of this earthquake was 7.1, and it was initially determined to be a main aftershock sequence. The possibility of strong aftershocks cannot be ruled out in the future.
(CCTV reporter Liu Jing, Liu Feng, Wu Jingjing and Zhang Tengfei)