Strong earthquake in the Xinjiang desert, China

Last update: March 9, 2012 at 12:31 am by By

Earthquake overview : At 6:50 AM in the morning (local time), a strong dangerous earthquake occurred in Xinjiang, China.
“I have Felt it” Reports –> see below + Let us know “how you have felt this earthquake”
To read the full story as it happened, we advise our readers to start at the lower part of the page (earthquake data).
Check also our China-only earthquake list

Keep this page open or return regularly as we will be back with more details when they become available

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China Xinjiang earthquake March 9, 2012

Update 23:54 UTC :
- Xinjiang is the Chinese province which is also called the “Uyghur Autonomous Region“. Xinjiang is often hit bu strong, very strong to even massive earthquakes.
- Aral, the closest city to the epicenter (approx. 120 km) has a population of 200,000.

Update 23:54 UTC :
 – Chinese authorities are very skilled in managing earthquake response and special teams will be dispatched to the greater epicenter area. Every crack in a house is recorded and logged, which makes the Chinese statistics among the most detailed in the world.

Update 23:47 UTC :
 – The greater epicenter area is Taklamakan Desert (see image below).  Peak ground acceleration is the direct epicenter area is limited.

Update 23:34 UTC :
 – The Chinese Seismological Agency (to be trusted) reports a Magnitude of 6.0 at a depth of 30 km, a little stronger than USGS.

Update 23:30 UTC :
 – WAPMERR, the theoretical damage engine has calculated that this earthquake will normally not make victims. The max. injured is 0 to 10.

Update 23:28 UTC :
 – USGS has calculated (theoretical engines) that 4,000 people will experience a strong shaking, 3,000 a moderate shaking and 508,000 people a light shaking.
- Chinese  houses are mostly build in brick and adobe and are very vulnerable for earthquake damage.

Update 23:22 UTC :
 -Luckily the epicenter of this earthquake is located in an unpopulated area. GDACS gas calculated that only 3,523 people are living within a radius of 50 km. 7,224 people in a radius of 100 km and 581,583 people within a radius of 200 km.
- Earthquake-Report.com estimates that only the people living within a radius of 50 km have a potential danger of damage.

Update 23:18 UTC :
 – Earthquakes with this magnitude can be very dangerous in China.

Update 23:14 UTC :
- (Preliminary) data from other seismological agencies :
EMSC : M 5.9 at 40 km
GEOFON : M 6.0 at 10 km

Desert landscape in the epicenter area - image courtesy lean88888

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“I Have Felt It” reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
See below for all the received Earthquake Experience reports as received by earthquake-report.com

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.8
UTC Time : Thursday, March 08, 2012 at 22:50:08 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Friday, March 09, 2012 at 06:50:08 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 35.5 km
Geo-location(s) :
approx. 120 km from Aral (closest bigger city)
214 km (132 miles) SSE of Aksu, Xinjiang, China
282 km (175 miles) NNE of Hotan, Xinjiang, China

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Focal mechanism report
Human impact map
GDACS earthquake report

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I Have Felt this earthquake

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFO
GEOFON Southern Xinjiang, China Mar 08 22:50 5.8 40 MAP I Felt It
USGS Southern Xinjiang, China Mar 08 22:50 5.8 35 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Southern Xinjiang, China Mar 08 22:50 5.8 40 MAP I Felt It
USGS Southern Xinjiang, China Mar 08 01:02 4.6 39 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Southern Xinjiang, China Mar 08 01:02 4.9 2 MAP I Felt It

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SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

Enter Email (not compulsory)
City/Village where you felt the earthquake
MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
People :
Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
People :
Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
People :
Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
Fittings :
Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
Structures :
Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
People :
Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
Fittings :
Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
Structures :
Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
Fittings :
Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
Structures :
Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
Environment :
Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
People
General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
Fittings :
Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
Structures :
Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
Environment :
Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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