Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude jolts China

Beijing [China], June 4 : An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck China early Wednesday morning, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said in a statement.

According to the NCS, the quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km, which makes it more likely to be followed by aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.2, On: 04/06/2025 04:43:08 IST, Lat: 33.73 N, Long: 81.99 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: China."

EQ of M: 4.2, On: 04/06/2025 04:43:08 IST, Lat: 33.73 N, Long: 81.99 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: China.

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— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) June 3, 2025

Shallow earthquakes like these are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth's surface. This causes stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes, which lose energy as they travel to the surface.

The collision of India with the rest of Asia has led to seismic activity throughout Western China, particularly in Tibet and the Yunnan, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces. However, these regions in comparison with Eastern China have a low population density.

These areas also in general have poorer transport and building codes. Throughout China, poor building codes increases the damage and loss of life from earthquakes. The northern regions of Eastern China are not as seismically active as the western areas of the country, but earthquakes are still possible in this area.

China has been the location of some of the deadliest earthquakes in history. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed by magnitude 8.0 earthquakes in 1303 in Hongdong and 1556 in Shaanxi. This Shaanxi earthquake killed about 8,30,000 people, many dying with the collapses of their underground homes built into loess banks and cliffs.

The 20th century saw 2,73,400 people killed in the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake and a magnitude 8.6 earthquake in 1950, the largest recorded earthquake in China. In 2008 the magnitude 8.0 2008 Sichuan earthquake killed 87,587 people.

Earthquake prediction was popular between 1966 and 1976, which overlapped with the Cultural Revolution. This reached its height with the successful prediction of the 1975 Haicheng earthquake. This earthquake had a prominent series of fore-shocks and authorities who were eager to issue a warning.

However, very few earthquakes have both these criteria. The unpredictable and devastating Tangshan earthquake in 1976 led to a reduction of the popularity of earthquake prediction in China.

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