2 strong earthquakes hit western China in a month: is the Earth getting restless?

It is not unusual to see strong quakes in quick succession and scientists have not seen any long-term pattern

But one researcher believes there is a risk of more seismic activity in western China as result in the movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates

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Last month’s earthquake in Gansu was the country’s deadliest in 10 years. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00am, 24 Jan 2024Updated: 10:01am, 24 Jan 2024

Two strong earthquakes have struck western China in just over a month with the latest, a magnitude 7.1 quake, striking a remote part of Xinjiang on Tuesday.

It hit days after China Earthquake Networks Centre released statistics suggesting global seismic activity had shifted from weak to strong in 2023 due to a rise in the number of earthquakes with a magnitude above 7.

Some scientists believe there is a potential for earthquake activity to increase in the future, but many say that there is nothing unusual about strong quakes happening in quick succession, nor do they see any patterns that suggest a long-term increase in seismic activity.

Instead, they say more quakes are being recorded due to better monitoring equipment and people may be more aware of strong earthquakes today because of the ease with which news can travel around the world quickly.

Tuesday’s quake in Xinjiang’s Aksu prefecture was felt across the border in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and was followed by around 40 aftershocks but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

It followed a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that hit the neighbouring province of Gansu last month killing over 150 people – the deadliest to hit China in almost a decade.