An earthquake measuring 6.0 degrees on the Richter Scale hit a
county in southwest Tibet Autonomous Region at 19:54 Beijing Time
Wednesday, according to the China Seismological Monitoring
Network.
The epicenter was located at 32.5 degrees north latitude and
85.2 degrees east longitude, about 100 km east of the county seat
of Gerze in Ngari Prefecture in the west of Tibet.
No casualties were so far reported. The quake-hit area is a
sparsely-populated plateau region with an elevation of more than
4,000 meters.
An earthquake measuring 6.9 degrees hit the same region on Jan.
9. It was the strongest quake that hit the region in the past
decade, according to the Tibet Autonomous Regional Seismological
Bureau. The quake did not cause loss of life or property.
The area near the epicenter has a population of about 1,000 to
2,000, according to a Gerze county government source.
Tibet is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in China. Since
1900, the region has suffered more than 600 quakes with magnitudes
of over 5.
On August 15, 1950, an 8.5 magnitude quake hit the region's Zayu
County, killing about 4,000 people.
(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2008)