This article is about a current event. Information about this event may change quickly. Please refer to your local news service to get the most recent information about the event.(January 2025)
On 7 January 2025, at 09:05 CST, an earthquake measuring Mw 7.1 or Ms 6.8 happened in Tingri County, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of south-western China.[1] At least 126 people were killed while 188 others were injured from the earthquake.[2][3]
Tectonic setting
The Tibetan Plateau is high because of crust thickening caused by the collision of tectonic plates near the Himalayas. Faults in the plateau are linked to two main types: strike-slip and normal faults. The plateau stretches east–west, shown by north–south grabens, strike-slip faults, and GPS data.
Big earthquakes (magnitude 8.0 or so) mostly happen on strike-slip faults. Smaller earthquakes (magnitude 5.9 to 7.1) on normal faults occurred in 2008 at depths of 10–15 km with fault angles of 40–50 degrees. A 2010 study found that 85% of the energy from normal fault earthquakes in the last 43 years happened above 5 km elevation, suggesting these quakes are influenced by the pull of gravity.[4]
Earthquake
USGS ShakeMap
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a magnitude of (Mww ) of 7.1, while the China Earthquake Networks Center reported it as Ms 6.8.[5] It was caused by normal faulting in the Tibetan Plateau. The earthquake happened on a north-south fault that dipped either east or west.[1]
Strong shaking was felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.[6] USGS models showed movement along a fault that stretched about 80 km (50 mi) and went 20 km (12 mi) deep. The largest slip was 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) or 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in), depending on the fault's direction.[1]
Impact
The earthquake killed at least 126 people and injured 188 more in Tibet.[2][3][7] Most deaths happened in Tingri County (32), with 2 each in Lhatse and Sakya counties. Over 1,000 homes collapsed in Tingri County,[8] near the epicenter.[9] It was the biggest earthquake in China since January 2024 and the deadliest since December 2023, when an earthquake killed 148 people in Gansu province.[10] Many collapsed houses were reported in villages throughout Tingri County, trapping people under rubble.[11] Three townships in the county reported fatalities.[12] A hotel was damaged in Lhatse,[13] and a police station in Nepal had small damage.[14]
Response
Firefighters and rescuers at the earthquake rescue site in Shigatse
After the earthquake, over 1,500 rescue workers,[15] 75 vehicles, 4 dogs, and 7,030 tools were sent to help.[11] A level-three emergency alert was issued,[16] and people were evacuated to stay safe from aftershocks. Local officials provided extra support for rescue efforts.[17] The government sent 22,000 relief items like tents, coats, quilts, and folding beds to help in the cold, high-altitude areas.[18] The army also joined the rescue efforts,[19] and the Mount Qomolangma scenic area was closed.[20]
Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, called for full rescue efforts, care for the injured, repairs to infrastructure, and help for displaced people.[21] In Nepal, security forces were sent to affected areas.[22] At 2:00 p.m. on 7 January, 30 officers reached Shigatse, and 359 more were on their way to help.[23][24]
↑Elliott, J. R.; Walters, R. J.; England, P. C.; Jackson, J. A.; Li, Z.; Parsons, B. (2010). "Extension on the Tibetan plateau: recent normal faulting measured by InSAR and body wave seismology". Geophysical Journal International. 183 (2): 503–535. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04754.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
↑"西藏日喀则市定日县发生6.8级地震". cbgc.scol.com.cn (in Chinese). 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
↑Xiaoge, Yu (7 January 2025). "西藏定日县地震已致53人遇难" [53 people have been killed in the earthquake in Dingri County, Tibet]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 January 2025.
↑"西藏6.8级地震已致36人遇难" [6.8-magnitude earthquake in Tibet kills 36 people]. Nanfang Daily. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
↑"西藏定日县6.8级地震已有人员遇难" [6.8-magnitude earthquake in Dingri County, Tibet has killed people] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
↑Jing, Tian (7 January 2025). "西藏日喀则市定日县发生6.8级地震" [A 6.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, Tibet]. Ministry of Emergency Management (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 January 2025.
↑Jiexi, Su (January 7, 2024). "中国气象局启动地震灾害气象服务三级应急响应" [China Meteorological Administration launches Level 3 emergency response for earthquake disaster meteorological services]. China Meteorological Administration (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 January 2025.
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