Asia is a seismically dangerous territory. In particular, an earthquake in China of 7-8 points is not uncommon. The destructive element carries away tens of thousands of lives in a matter of minutes. One of the most terrible is the earthquake in China in 1976.

Geography of the country

China is the largest country in Asia, occupying the entire east of this part of the world. It is on the third place in the world in terms of occupied space, second only to Russia and Canada. In terms of population, the PRC surpasses all other countries on Earth.

Geographically, China occupies the Eurasian tectonic plate, which faces the Hindustan plate from the southwest. At the site of the clash, the Himalayas and the Tibet Plateau were formed, whose modification under the influence of the geological activity of these regions continues to this day.

The collision of two tectonic plates is the main cause of China's seismic activity. There are frequent strong earthquakes of 7-8 points. They take lives of tens of thousands of victims in a matter of minutes.

Destructive earthquakes in China

History shows the following tragedies in China:

• 1290 - shaking in the Seagull with a power of 6.7 points. About 100 thousand people became victims.
• 1556 year - the strongest earthquake in China in Shansi magnitude up to 8 points. At least 800 thousand people died. A huge number of people remained on the list of missing persons, which gives all grounds to consider the victims of about a million Chinese.
• 1920 - in the territory of Gansu, tremors of magnitude 7,8 occurred. More than 240 thousand people died.
• 1927 - in the province of Nan-Xiang shook with a strength of 7.6 points. More than 40 thousand inhabitants of the Celestial Empire were victims.
• 1932 - from an earthquake measuring 7.6 points in the city of Changma, more than 70 thousand people died.

China, Tangshan, 1976

In the summer of 1976, there was a terrible earthquake in China, in the city of Tangshan, recognized as the most devastating in the 20th century. Its magnitude reached 8.2 points. It lasted only 15 seconds, but this natural disaster erased the city from the face of the earth, destroying all buildings almost in the dust. On a summer night July 28, 1976 in China, killed about 250 thousand people. However, most world experts agree that official sources have greatly underestimated the number of victims. The actual number of dead at least 650 thousand, can reach 800 thousand people. According to its geological nature, the earthquake in China in 1976 is comparable to the terrible natural disaster of 1556.

In memory of those killed in the center of the rebuilt Tangshan, a stele was erected. Real tragic events formed the basis of many television films. The most famous is the film directed by Feng Xiaogang "Earthquake", released on the screen in 2010. The film demonstrates the tremendous and uncontrollable force of the natural elements, shows how several tragic seconds can break the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

New story

Underground shocks continue to bring unhappiness to the largest Asian country:

• 1999 - shook in Taiwan with a strength of 7.6 points. Suffered more than 10 thousand people, about 2.3 thousand dead.
• 2008 is another catastrophe in Eastern Sichuan with a strength of 7.9 points. About 90 thousand people died, more than 350 thousand were wounded.
• 2010 - in Qinghai Province shook with a magnitude of 7.1 points. Fortunately, this time experts informed on the impending catastrophe - and the residents managed to evacuate, which helped to avoid a large number of victims.
• 2014 - earthquake in the province of Yunnan in 6.1 points. More than 600 people died, a total of victims - up to 3 thousand.

Given the high seismic activity of the region and high population density, developments in the field of research and predictions of possible earthquakes are very relevant for China in order to evacuate residents from dangerous areas in a timely manner.