7.0 magnitude earthquake rattles China near border with Kyrgyzstan

Northwest China’s Xinjiang region was rattled by a powerful 7.0 M_w earthquake at 2:09 a.m. local time, on the morning of Tuesday, January 23.

Furthermore, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 13.0 kilometers, in China’s Wushi County (also known as Uqturpan County), near the border with Kyrgyzstan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

ABC News reported that at least six people were injured in the events, and more than 120 homes were damaged or collapsed in the sparsely populated earthquake struck region.

Two hundred rescue workers were dispatched to the affected area, while hundreds more were being assembled.

In addition to the aforementioned, material damage also included two collapsed power lines, which were swiftly restored, according to the state-run news agency, Xinhua.

Train services were also disrupted in the area affected by the earthquake, and 27 trains were suspended by the Xinjiang railway authority.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the main earthquake was followed by at least 50 aftershocks with measured magnitudes of more than M_w 3, as of 11 a.m. on the same day.

Finally, the USGS writes in its tectonic summary that the region is seismically active, with such earthquakes occurring somewhat frequently. Three earthquakes with magnitudes M_w 6.5 or above have occurred in the area within the previous century, with the largest one measuring M_w 7.1 in 1978.