The Spatial Distribution of Earthquakes in China

Ru Meng
Faculty Advisor: Dr.Vijendra K. Boken
Department of Geography & Earth Science, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Abstract

China experiences a substantial number of earthquakes causing human deaths and
economic damages. However, the frequency of earthquakes is not uniformly distributed
across China. Certain regions experience more earthquakes than other regions. This
study analyses earthquakes with a moderate to high intensity and examines their spatial
distribution. The data on earthquakes was collected for the period from 1920 to 2013.
Discussions include possible reasons for the variation in the frequency of these
earthquakes. The regions along the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate appear to
experience a higher frequency of earthquakes in China.

Introduction

Earthquakes occur frequently in China and cause significant financial and human losses
restricting developmental activities. Lately, their intensity is found to be increasing.
About 685 earthquakes, with magnitude exceeding 6.0, were recorded during the period
from 1920 to 2013 [3] These earthquakes could be classified as moderate (magnitude
6.0 to 6.9), large (magnitude 7.0 to 7.9), or strong (magnitude exceeding 8.0). Following
this criterion, 18 earthquakes were classified as strong, 118 were classified as large, and
the remaining 549 earthquakes were classified as moderate earthquakes.
The strong earthquakes caused most serious damages. For example, the Sichuan
earthquake which occurred on Monday, May 12 2008, in Sichuan province and
measured 8.0. killed 69,197 [2]. In addition, 4.8 million people became homeless and
thousands of school children died due to the shoddy construction. Also, millions of
livestock and a significant amount of agriculture were also destroyed and the
government spent $441 billion on relief and reconstruction efforts.

Spatial distribution of these earthquakes has not been uniform across China. Some
regions experience more number of earthquakes than other regions. The objective of this
research was to examine the regions for spatial distribution of the earthquakes.

Figure 1. Map showing he population density
of China
Figure 2. The spatial distribution of
earthquakes in China from 1949 to 2010. It
apparently can be seen that there are more
earthquakes in south central China than in
eastern China.
Conclusion

Our results show the main reasons for the differences in the spatial frequency
of earthquakes. The Chinese mainland and its imminent regions are in the
continental seismic zones, which have the most frequent and intensive
earthquake activities in the world. Places where earthquakes happened a lot
are located in the active blocks between the Eurasian Plate and the Indian
Plate. So the active tectonic blocks are somewhat integrated and have a
relatively uniform movement pattern. Places which have mountains, deserts
and plains as different platforms also experienced earthquakes more
frequently.


Acknowledgement

I thank my mentor Dr. Vijendra K. Boken for guiding me on this interesting
project during my early years at UNK. I also thank Dr. Nathan T. Eidem for
helping me out with mapping..
References

1. Chong Xu, Xiwei Xu and Guihua Yu. Landslides triggered by slipping
fault-generated earthquake on a plateau: an example of the 14 April 2010, Ms
7.1, Yushu, China earthquake. Published online: 14 June, 2012. Landslides
(2013) 10:421-431.

2. Gao Xiao-Qing, Tang Mao-Cang, Guo Wei-Dong and Li Jie. Analysis of the
influence of great earthquakes in northwest Pacific Ocean on the monthly
seasonal rainfall process in China. Chinese Journal Geographics. Vol. 51, No.
4, 2008, pp: 725-732

3. Zhang Guo-Min, Ma Hong-Sheng, Wang Hui and Wang Xin-Lin.
Boundaries between active-tectonic block and strong earthquakes in China
mainland. Chinese Journal Geographics.Vol.48, No.3, 2005, PP: 662-671.

4. Zhang Peizhen, Deng Qidong, Zhang Guomin, Ma Jin, Gan Weijun, Min
Wei, Mao Fengying & Wang Qi. Active tectonic blocks and strong
earthquakes in the continent of China. Science in China (Series D). Vol. 46
Supp. October 2003.

Figure 3. The different landforms of Cina
Figure 4. This graph shows the west side of
China is closer to the two plates which are the
Eurasian Plate and the Indian Plate. It explains
the main reason why more earthquakes
happen in the west side than in the east side.
Study Area
Data Collection

The data included the dates, magnitude, location, and the damage caused by
earthquakes during the period from 1949 to 2010. and was collected from the China
Earthquake Administration (www.gov.cn). In order to study the impact of population,
the population density map was procured from the Nautilus Institute for Security and
Sustainability (http://nautilus.org; Figure 1).
Data Analysis

The data collected about locations of earthquakes was mapped using ArcGIAS software (Figure 2). The
frequency of earthquakes was related to the population density map as well as the locations of the tectonic
plates.. The strong and large earthquakes located on the active boundaries of tectonic plates. So it demonstrates
that there is a relationship between Active-Tectonic Blocks and Strong Earthquakes [4].

Results and Discussion

Based on Figure 2, it is apparent that more number of earthquakes occur on the western side of China than the
east side. According to Figure 4, the west side of China is closer to the Eurasian Plate and the Indian Plate. With
the movement of the Eurasian Plate and Indian Plate, it is easier to cause a higher number of earthquakes. In
consequence, more earthquakes have happened on the western and southern side than the east side
Due to different unstable landforms such as mountains and deserts, it is
easier for earthquakes to occur, according to the Chinese Journal of
Geophysics [2005],
In terms of the economic loss, earthquakes also have different serious
consequences based on different areas. According to Figure 1, it can be
known that there are more people on the east side than the west side. It is
bit fortunate that the population density is not highest in the areas of high
frequency of earthquakes, otherwise the losses would be much higher.
The study area included the entire Peoples Republic of China and the data
included earthquakes occurred across entire China. The population density in
China varies spatially. As seen in Figure 1, China has much larger on the east
side than the western side. Figure 3 demonstrates that there are more
mountains, deserts and plains in the west side than the east side. Earthquake
density is also more towards western or southern side.