2014 Ludian earthquake

2014 Ludian earthquake.
The town of Zhoujiaping after the earthquake
2014 Ludian earthquake is located in Yunnan
2014 Ludian earthquake
Kunming
Kunming
2014 Ludian earthquake (Yunnan)
Location of epicenter in Yunnan
UTC time2014-08-03 08:30:13
ISC event605131010
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date3 August 2014
Local time16:30:13 CST (UTC+8)
Magnitude6.5 ML[1][2][3][4][5]
6.1 Mw[6]
Depth10.0 km (6.2 mi)
Epicenter27°14′42″N 103°25′37″E / 27.245°N 103.427°E / 27.245; 103.427
Areas affectedYunnan, China
Total damage$9.91 billion[7]
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)[8]
Casualties615 dead, 3,143 injured, 112 missing

The 2014 Ludian earthquake struck Ludian County, Yunnan, China, with a moment magnitude of 6.1 on 3 August.[6] The earthquake killed at least 615 people, injuring at least 2,400 others. At least 114 people remained missing.[9] Over 12,000 houses collapsed and 30,000 were damaged.[10] According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred 29 km (18 mi) west-southwest of Zhaotong city at 16:30 local time (08:30 UTC).[11][12][13]

Tectonic setting

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Satellite image of the immediate area affected by the Ludian earthquake. Size of red circles represent number of deceased per county.

The earthquake occurred at 16:03, Beijing time (08:03 UTC), on 3 August 2014. American geological surveys indicated that the epicenter was 29 km (18 mi) WSW of Zhaotong city at a depth of 10.0 km (6.2 mi),[14] in the quake-prone province of Yunnan in southwestern China, about 18 km (11 mi) from Zhaotong. It was especially felt in the province of Yunnan, and less in the provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan.[15]

ShakeMap of the earthquake from the United States Geological Survey.

The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale,[6] with an intensity of up to VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The quake was the result of a strike-slip fault, whose fault plane has a southwest–northeast strike.[16]

Seismicity in this region of southeast Asia is the direct result of the orogenic activity of the Himalayan mountain belt. Due to the complex interaction between the Eurasian plate and Indo-Australian plate from Afghanistan in the west to Burma and China in the east, many shallow sub-surface faults are present in both southwest China and neighbouring Myanmar.

Recent earthquakes

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This particular part of Yunnan Province was struck by the Mw 6.3 Burma earthquake in 2003.[17] Similar events have occurred in recent years due to strike-slip faulting in the nearby vicinity, such as the Mw 7.7 1988 Lancang earthquake, the 2006 Yunnan earthquake of magnitude 5.0, which killed 19 people,[18] the largest of recent times, the Mw 7.9 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which killed over 69,000 people, the Mw 6.9 2011 Shan earthquake,[19] and more recently, the 2012 Yunnan earthquakes, which was the result of reverse faulting and not strike-slip faulting like the Ludian earthquake,[20] killing 81 people and injuring 821 others.[21]

Damage and casualties

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Longtoushan Town (龙头山镇) after the earthquake
Casualties Ludian Qiaojia Zhaoyang Huize Total
Deaths 526 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 78 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 1 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 12 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 617 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23]
Injured 1,713 (As of 5 August 6:30 UTC)[24] 290 (As of 5 August 6:30 UTC)[9][24] ? 370 (As of 5 August 6:30 UTC)[9][24] 3,143
(As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23]
Missing 109 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 3 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23] 0 0 112 (As of 8 August 7:00 UTC)[9][22][23]

The earthquake caused significant damage in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter, principally in the city of Zhaotong, where power outages and significant structural damage were reported.[25] Chinese authorities announced that the quake left at least 391 dead, and over 1,801 injured.[26][27]

According to the South China Morning Post, the tremor was felt in nearby towns, including the capital of Yunnan, Kunming, also in Chongqing, Leshan and Chengdu in the neighboring province of Sichuan.[28] Road access to Longquan Village (龙泉村) of Longtoushan Town (龙头山镇), Ludian County, was blocked, where buildings collapsed.[29] In Ludian, it was reported that around 12,000 homes had collapsed, many of them being aged brick structures.[30]

Aftershocks

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From 3 August 6 UTC until 21 UTC, 9 aftershocks of M 3.0 or higher were recorded by the China Seismic Bureau. The largest aftershock measured M 4.2.[31]

Number Date (° N) (°E) Focal depth (km) Magnitude Location Earthquake time (BJT)
1[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.3 12 6.5 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 16:03:10
2[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 3.3 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 16:45:18
3[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 3.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 18:12:41
4[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.4 9 3.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 18:34:00
5[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 4 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 19:07:20
6[31] 3 August 2014 27 103.4 8 3.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 19:46:31
7[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 4.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 21:47:07
8[31] 3 August 2014 27.1 103.3 11 4.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 22:28:29
9[31] 4 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 4.2 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 3:30:31
10[31] 4 August 2014 27.1 103.4 5 3.1 Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province 7:06:10

Response and relief

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Mourning held on 8 August 2014 in Baogunao (包谷垴乡) for victims of the Ludian earthquake

The Chinese government sent a 30-man team to the epicentre region immediately after the earthquake struck, as well as 2,000 tents, 3,000 folding beds, 3,000 quilts, and 3,000 coats to provide shelter for the displaced and homeless.[25] The majority of the injured were transported to safe areas.[26]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who flew to the epicenter on the morning of 4 August,[32][33] sent a joint working group to investigate and assist the locals in the rescue.[34]

Donations

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As of 17:00 (UTC+8) on 15 August 2014, Yunnan Province received 536 million Yuan in donated money and 50 million Yuan in donated goods. The donations came from a wide array of government groups and privately owned companies.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 云南省昭通市鲁甸县6.5级地震 [Magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Ludian County, Zhaotong, Yunnan]. 中国地震台网. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  2. ^ China Earthquake Network statistics
  3. ^ Government announcement
  4. ^ "China Earthquake Administration statistics". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Yahoo! Finance article". Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "M6.1 – 11 km WNW of Wenping, China". United States Geological Survey. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  7. ^ Armand Vervaeck (3 August 2014). "Deadly earthquake in Ludian county (Yunnan), China – at least 398 people killed + over 6 bn USD in damage". Earthquake-Report.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Intensity of SW China quake reaches level IX". ReliefWeb.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 云南鲁甸地震遇难人数增至617人 [Ludian, Yunnan earthquake death toll rises to 617]. Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Un séisme fait au moins 367 morts en Chine". Le Figaro (in French). 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Earthquake kills 26 in south-west China". BBC News. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  12. ^ "At least 175 dead after quake hits southwest China". Reuters. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Earthquake killed 398 people and more than 1.800 were injured". BBC News. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  14. ^ "6.1 magnitude earthquake 29 km from Zhaotong city, Yunnan, China". Earthquaketrack.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  15. ^ "W Chinach zatrzęsła się ziemia. Zginęło prawie 400 osób". Tvp.info (in Polish). Telewizja Polska S.A. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  16. ^ 云南鲁甸县6.5级地震遇难人数已升至367人. People's Daily (in Chinese). 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Historic Earthquakes: Moment Tensor Solution". United States Geological Survey. 7 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  18. ^ "M5.0 – eastern Sichuan, China". United States Geological Survey. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  19. ^ "USGS WPhase Moment Solution". United States Geological Survey. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  20. ^ "M5.5 – Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou region, China". United States Geological Survey. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  21. ^ 云南彝良地震死亡人数增至81人 通讯基本恢复 (in Chinese). China News Service. 9 September 2012.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i 云南省鲁甸县6.5级地震造成589人死亡9人失踪 [Magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Ludian County, Yunnan results in 589 deaths and 9 missing]. Ministry of Civil Affairs Yunnan. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i 昭通市鲁甸县发生6.5级地震（续报二十一）. Ministry of Civil Affairs Yunnan. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  24. ^ a b c 昭通市鲁甸县发生6.5级地震（续报十八） (in Chinese). Ministry of Civil Affairs Yunnan. 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  25. ^ a b "6.5-magnitude quake hits southwest China's Yunnan: CENC – Xinhua | English.news.cn". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  26. ^ a b 云南鲁甸地震遇难人数增至391人 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 4 August 2014.
  27. ^ 云南昭通鲁甸县地震 (in Chinese). Netease. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  28. ^ "Fuerte sismo en China dejó al menos 367 personas muertas". Univision.com (in Spanish). Univision Communications Inc. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  29. ^ 朱峰 (3 August 2014). 交通部门保通救灾 沙坝村至龙泉村道路今晚打通无望 (in Chinese). China News Service. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  30. ^ Jack Change (3 August 2014). "Strong Quake Kills at least 175 in Southern China". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k China Earthquake Administration. "截至8月6日20时00分 云南鲁甸6.5级地震共记录到余震763次". China Earthquake Administration. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  32. ^ 李克强赶赴云南鲁甸地震灾区指导抗震救灾. People's Daily (in Chinese). 4 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Li Keqiang flies to Sichuan quake zone". Financial Times. London. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  34. ^ 李克强就云南地震作批示 中央派出联合工作组. China News Service (in Chinese). 3 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  35. ^ 云南省级共接收鲁甸6.5级地震捐款5.36亿元
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Media related to 2014 Ludian earthquake at Wikimedia Commons

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