China earthquakes and nuclear tests
- October 8th, 2006 magnitude 4.2 mb event from an alleged nuclear test in North Korea
- 1998 India underground nuclear tests
- 1998 Pakistan underground nuclear tests
- Comparison of tests & Afghan earthquake
- Afghanistan earthquake-aftershock-2nd Pakistani nuclear test sequence
- China earthquakes and nuclear tests
Figure 1: Geo-political map of China. Major cities marked as red dots.
Introduction: Earthquakes in China
China has experienced several high magnitude earthquakes in recorded history. The following list illustrates those over magnitude 8 (Richter Scale, R.S).
- 1902 Ah Tu Shi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, magnitude 8.25
- 1906 Sha Wan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, magnitude 8.0
- 1920 Ningxia Autonomous Region, magnitude 8.5
- 1927 Gu Lang, Gansu Province, magnitude 8.0
- 1931 Fu Yun, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, magnitude 8.0
- 1950 Cha Yu, Tibet, magnitude 8.6
- 1951 Dang Xong, Tibet, magnitude 8.0
- 1970 Tong Hai, Yunnan Province, magnitude 7.8
- 1976 Tang Shan, Hebei Province, magnitude 7.8
Click on the links below to observe earthquake records by region*:
- Southwest China (Sichuan, Yunnan)
- Northwest China (Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu)
- North China (Shanxi, Inner Mongolia)
- South China (Taiwan, Jiangxi)
- East China (Jiangsu, Shandong, Jiangxi)
* – Information is from the Chinese State Seismological Bureau (in Chinese) and is for reference only. Last updated: 2009-10-22 00:10 UTC
Nuclear Testing
China has conducted all of its nuclear weapons tests at Lop Nur, and to date has tested a total of 45 nuclear weapons. 23 of these were atmospheric and 22 were underground. Their sizes range in yield from ~1 kiloton to ~4 megatons. China's most recent test was conducted on July 29, 1996 with a yield of ~1 to 5 kilotons.
Waveform images of the most recent Chinese nuclear tests as recorded by the KNET seismic array
- June 8th 1996 nuclear test, magnitude 5.9 (filtered)
- July 29th 1996 nuclear test, magnitude 4.9 (filtered)
The KNET seismic array has recorded several earthquakes in China since its installation. The following event (nuclear test?) has it's own own dedicated web page:
More information
- Center for Nonproliferation Studies; background on China's nuclear tests
- Center for Nonproliferation Studies; specifics of China's nuclear tests
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