The China Earthquake Networks Center recorded
a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake at a depth of 16 km in the Tian
Shan Mountains of northwestern Xinjiang Province, China, slightly after 9.20 pm local time
(slightly after 1.20 pm GMT) on Sunday 19 January 2020. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, but it was felt across a wide area of Xinjiang Province and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.
The approximate location of the 19 January 2020 Xinjiang Earthquake. USGS.
The Tian Shan Mountains stretch for 2500 km across Xinjiang, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The Tian Shan are part of the Himalayan
Orogenic Belt, mountains in Central Asia pushed upwards by the collision
of India and Asia. The Indian Plate is currently pushing into the
Eurasian Plate from the south at a rate of 3 cm per year. Since both are
continental plates, which do not subduct, the Eurasian Plate is folding
and buckling, causing uplift in the Himalayas and other mountains of
Central Asia. This is not a smooth process, the rocks will remain
effectively stationary for log periods of time while pressure builds up,
then give suddenly, releasing large amounts of energy in the form of
Earthquakes.
The movement of India relative to Asia, and the blocks within the eastern part if the Eurasian Plate. University of Wollongong.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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