Low Possibility of Earthquake in Shantou

Two days after the 7.8 magnitude “5.12” earthquake that struck Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, the Shantou City Post reports that there is a low possibility of such an earthquake in Shantou.

According to the source cited in the paper from the Shantou Seismological Bureau, the possibility of a high-intensity earthquake in Shantou is low in the near future because of the lack of seismic activity in the area.

Bureau chief Shi Lewen said some residents called in and said they felt a slight tremor in high buildings during the Sichuan earthquakes. He explained that this was a high-magnitude earthquake, with a huge amount of energy released far and wide, causing skyscrapers to shake. However, Shantou and Wenchuan are in different seismic belts with distinct geographic structures, and therefore there is no obvious connection between seismic activities in the two regions.

Shantou is located in the Southeastern Coastal Seismic Belt in China, the main location of seismic activities in Guangdong Province. Since 1970, earthquakes have mainly been small, at most measuring 4 in magnitude. Based on study and observations, there are no signs that Shantou would have large- or medium-size quakes in near future, said the chief Shi Lewen.

source: Shantou City Post