1975 Haicheng earthquake

1975 Haicheng earthquake
1975 Haicheng earthquake is located in China
1975 Haicheng earthquake
UTC time1975-02-04 11:36:06
ISC event731961
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateFebruary 4, 1975
Local time19:36 CST
Magnitude7.0 Mw
7.5 Ms
6.2 mb[1]
Depth15.6 km
Epicenter40°40′N 122°41′E / 40.66°N 122.68°E / 40.66; 122.68
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)
TsunamiNone
Casualties1,328 killed (some say 2,041[2])

On February 4, 1975, at 19:36 CST, an earthquake of Ms 7.5 and intensity (MMI) IX hit the city of Haicheng, Liaoning, China. Much of the city was evacuated before the earthquake, so few died from building collapse; however, many died from fire and hypothermia in the subsequent days. The evacuees lived during the deep winter in self-made tents made of tree branches, bed sheets, tarps and straw,[3] 372 froze to death and 6,578 suffered frostbite,[4] while a fire burned 341 to death and 980 suffered non-fatal burns.[4] The fire was one of the most notable earthquake-induced fires in China, triggered from a combination of cooking, winter heating and lighting.

The early evacuation ordered by Chinese officials had been questioned to whether it was a scientific earthquake prediction or a fluke. The prediction was based mainly on the pronounced foreshock sequence.[5] None of the precursors observed in this earthquake were observed in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 240,000.[5] This prediction was later put under heavy scrutiny and was deemed a fluke.[who?]

  1. ^ International Seismological Centre. ISC-EHB Bulletin. Thatcham, United Kingdom. [Event 731961].
  2. ^ "Earthquake Prediction: Haicheng, China – 1975". Eserc.stonybrook.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-01-14.[better source needed]
  3. ^ Photos of such tents taken in 1976 can be found in: 吴彦君 (2012). "我家的防震棚" [The earthquake tents at my home]. In 阿滢 (ed.). 秋缘斋读书记. 天地出版社. Archived from the original on 2022-01-01.
  4. ^ a b 颤抖的地球—地震科学 (2005). Researched by CEA seismologists 冯万鹏,薑文亮,龚丽霞,公茂盛,胡进军; Revised by CEA seismologists 王文清,续春荣,张宝红; Edited by CEA chiefs 谢礼立,张景发. Tsinghua University Press. Pages XIII, 162.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).