- Date:
- April 14, 2010
Qinghai earthquake of 2010
-
What was the Qinghai earthquake of 2010?
The Qinghai earthquake of 2010 was a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in China's Qinghai province, on the northeastern portion of the Plateau of Tibet, on April 14, 2010. The quake's epicenter was near the village of Rima, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Gyêgu. It occurred in a tectonically complex zone, and was caused by the southeastern movement of the Plateau of Tibet along the Yushu strike-slip fault.
Most residences in Gyêgu were destroyed by the quake and aftershocks, leaving 100,000 people without shelter. Nearly 3,000 people were killed. The Chinese government began relief efforts within hours, but the remote location complicated the delivery of heavy-lifting equipment.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where did the Qinghai earthquake happen?
The Qinghai earthquake of 2010 occurred on April 14, 2010, in the isolated southern Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province, China, on the northeastern portion of the Plateau of Tibet. The epicenter was near the small village of Rima, roughly 30 miles (50 km) west of Gy\u00eegu, the capital of Yushu prefecture, and about 500 miles (800 km) southwest of Xining, the provincial capital. The quake is thought to have been caused by the southeastern movement of the Plateau of Tibet along the Yushu strike-slip fault, part of the Xianshuihe system.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How strong was the Qinghai earthquake measured on the Richter scale?
The Qinghai earthquake of April 14, 2010, was a magnitude-6.9 temblor that occurred in Qinghai province, China. The earthquake's epicenter was near the village of Rima, west of Gyêgu, the capital of Yushu prefecture. The quake resulted from the southeastern movement of the Plateau of Tibet along the Yushu strike-slip fault. The earthquake caused extensive property damage and killed nearly 3,000 people. The Richter scale is a quantitative measure of an earthquake’s magnitude.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What damage did the earthquake cause to buildings and homes?
The Qinghai earthquake of April 14, 2010, caused extensive property damage in the isolated southern Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province, China. Most residences in Gyegu were destroyed by the quake and aftershocks, resulting in 15,000 homes destroyed in Yushu prefecture and leaving 100,000 people without shelter. Many collapsed structures were constructed of mud bricks due to lax building codes. The early hour of the disaster limited casualties at schools, but more than 200 teachers and students were among the 2,698 deaths, and over 12,000 people were injured.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the earthquake affect the people living in the area?
The Qinghai earthquake of April 14, 2010, devastated the isolated Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province, China, resulting in extensive property damage and nearly 3,000 deaths.
Most residences in Gyegu were destroyed, leaving 100,000 people without shelter in freezing temperatures. Building codes were lax, and many structures built of mud bricks collapsed. Though the early hour limited school casualties, more than 200 teachers and students died, and over 12,000 people were injured.
The Chinese government initiated relief efforts, but the remote location and blocked roads complicated the delivery of equipment. Residents, including Buddhist monks, manually excavated collapsed buildings. The area's mostly ethnic Tibetan population required translators. Traditional Tibetan sky burials were impractical, leading monks to conduct mass burnings of the dead.
Delivery of coats and blankets was prioritized due to icy temperatures. Power was cut off after three hydroelectric plants were damaged. The Red Cross Society of China and other nongovernmental organizations augmented government relief efforts.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What rescue efforts and aid were provided after the Qinghai earthquake?
The Qinghai earthquake struck on April 14, 2010, in China's Qinghai province, killing nearly 3,000 people and causing extensive property damage.
Within hours, the Chinese government initiated relief efforts, airlifting supplies and military personnel to the isolated area. Residents, including hundreds of Buddhist monks, manually excavated collapsed buildings in search of survivors. Delivery of coats and blankets was a high priority due to icy temperatures. The Red Cross Society of China and other nongovernmental organizations also contributed to relief efforts.
A three-year reconstruction and improvement plan was organized to transform the region into a tourist destination.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Qinghai earthquake of 2010, severe earthquake that occurred on April 14, 2010, in the isolated southern Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province, China, on the northeastern portion of the Plateau of Tibet. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, and property damage was extensive.
The magnitude-6.9 temblor occurred at 7:49 am. Its epicentre was located near the small village of Rima, approximately 30 miles (50 km) west of the town of Gyêgu, the capital of Yushu prefecture, and about 500 miles (800 km) southwest of Xining, the provincial capital. The quake occurred in a tectonically complex zone dominated by the titanic convergence of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The uplift created by that convergence constitutes the Himalayas and the Plateau of Tibet. The latter is itself home to several significant fault systems, the Kunlun and the Xianshuihe. The quake was thought to have been caused by the southeastern movement of the Plateau of Tibet along the Yushu strike-slip fault, part of the Xianshuihe system. The Sichuan earthquake, a magnitude-7.9 tremor that struck southeast of Qinghai in 2008, left nearly 90,000 dead and millions homeless.
Though the area immediately surrounding the epicentre—highly rural and sparsely populated—suffered little damage, most residences in Gyêgu were destroyed by the quake and the aftershocks that followed. In total, 15,000 homes were destroyed in Yushu prefecture, leaving 100,000 people without shelter in a season when temperatures regularly dropped below freezing on the 13,000-foot (4,000-metre) region of the plateau. Building codes were thought to be lax; many of the structures that collapsed were constructed of mud bricks. Though the early hour of the disaster was thought to have limited the casualties at schools in the region, as classes had not yet begun, more than 200 of the 2,698 people who died were teachers and students. More than 12,000 people were injured.
The Chinese government began relief efforts within hours, flying in supplies and military personnel. However, the remote location of the quake complicated the delivery of heavy-lifting equipment, as many roads had been blocked by landslides. In the interim, residents, among them hundreds of Buddhist monks, began excavating collapsed buildings by hand in search of survivors. The area was home to mostly ethnic Tibetans, necessitating the arrival of translators. Traditional Tibetan sky burials—in which corpses were left to be eaten by vultures—were rendered impractical by the number of casualties, and monks therefore conducted mass burnings of the dead.
Delivery of coats and blankets was among the highest priorities, given the icy temperatures. Further difficulties were presented by the fact that power had been cut off in much of the region after three hydroelectric plants were damaged. Two weeks later one station had resumed production, generators and an emergency station having made up the difference in the meantime. The Red Cross Society of China augmented government relief efforts, as did a range of other nongovernmental organizations.
Because relations between the Tibetan population of the region and the Chinese government had been historically tense, the politics of the official response were delicate. Monks, largely responsible for coordinating relief until government assistance arrived, were angered when asked to leave the quake zone a week after the disaster. Some concluded that the government was attempting to claim credit for their efforts.
By the end of the month, a three-year reconstruction and improvement plan had been organized, with the ultimate goal of turning the region into a tourist destination.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
