1976 Songpan–Pingwu earthquake

The 1976 Songpan–Pingwu earthquake that struck Songpan and Pingwu counties in Sichuan, China consisted of three mainshocks on the 16th, 21st, and 23rd (UTC) of August. A 1984 report gave the magnitudes as 7.2, 6.7, and 7.2, resp. (scale not specified).[7] The magnitudes were subsequently recalculated as 6.7, 6.3, and 6.4 on the Mw scale, and 7.0, 6.6, and 6.7 on the Ms scale.[9] These were preceded by an earthquake swarm lasting three years. During the period from August 16 to August 31 there were over 400 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or greater.[10]

1976 Songpan–Pingwu earthquake
UTC timeTriplet earthquake:    
 A: 1976-08-16 14:06:46
 B: 1976-08-21 21:49:53
 C: 1976-08-23 03:30:07
ISC event 
 A: 709871
 B: 710167
 C: 710223
USGS-ANSS 
 A: ComCat
 B: ComCat
 C: ComCat
Local dateAugust 16, 22, and 23
Local time 
 A: 22:06 [1]
 B: 05:49 [1]
 C: 11:33 [2]
Magnitude 
 A: 6.7 Mw, 7.0 Ms[3]
 B: 6.3 Mw, 6.6 Ms[4]
 C: 6.4 Mw, 6.7 Ms[5]
DepthA: 8 km (5 mi)
B: 15 km (9 mi)
C: 19 km (12 mi)
Epicenter32.69°N 104.2°E / 32.69; 104.2 [6]
FaultHuya[7]
TypeReverse and left-lateral [7]
Areas affectedSongpan and Pingwu, Sichuan
Max. intensityVII[8]
ForeshocksThree year swarm

Short term earthquake warning were issued 3 months before the earthquake.[11] There were 38 dead in the four counties struck - Songpan, Pingwu, Maowen and Nanping. More than 5,000 houses collapsed and 2800 heads of livestock lost. The earthquake was felt as far as Gaotai, Gansu to the west, Kunming, Yunnan to the south, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia to the north, and Changsha, Hunan to the east, an area with a max radius of 1150 kilometers (714 miles).[12] The total casualties were 800, 600 of them slightly injured mostly due to mudslides.[11] The Earthquake Administration of Sichuan won the Chinese National Science and Technology Award of 1978 for successfully predicting the earthquake.[13]

See also

Notes
  1. Jones et al. 1984, p. 7700.
  2. Jones et al. 1984, p. 7701.
  3. ISC-EHB Event 709871 [IRIS].
  4. ISC-EHB Event 710167 [IRIS].
  5. ISC-EHB Event 710223 [IRIS].
  6. ISC-GEM Event 709781 [IRIS].
  7. Jones et al. 1984, p. 7697.
  8. ANSS: Sichuan 1976a .
  9. ISC-EHB Event 709871 [IRIS]. ISC-EHB Event 710167 [IRIS]. ISC-EHB Event 710223 [IRIS].
  10. Jones et al. 1984, p. 7698
  11. "Past successful Chinese earthquake predictions". Liaoning Earthquake Administration.
  12. Xinhua News Agency. "Earthquake with scale 6 or higher Since 1976". China Earthquake Administration.
  13. "30th anniversary of the Songpan–Pingwu earthquake". Sichuan Earthquake Administration.

Sources


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