Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake in Northwest Xinjiang Province, China.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 3.6 km in the Tian Shan Mountains of northwestern Xinjiang Province, China, at about 2.00 am local time on Saturday 13 August 2016 (about 6.00 pm on Friday 12 August GMT). There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it as far away as Almaty in Kazakhstan.

 The approximate location of the 13 August 2016 Tian Shan Earthquake. Google.

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.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization 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...

Landslide kills thirty-five in Xinjiang Province, China.                                                      Thirty-five people have been confirmed dead following a landslide which struck a village in the Kunlun Mountains of western Xinjiang Province early in...

Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake kills two in Tajikistan.                                                    The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake at a depth of 30 km about 50 km in the Pamir Mountains of eastern Tajikistan...

Seventeen miners missing after gas explosion at mine in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China.                 Seventeen miners are missing after an explosion at a coal mine in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region...

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Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake in eastern Kazakhstan.

On Monday 28 January 2013, slightly before 10.40 pm local time (slightly before 4.40 pm, GMT), the United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake at a depth of 15 km in the southeast of Khazakhstan, close to the border with Kyrgyzstan and the Chines province of Xingjiang. This is a fairly large quake, capable of causing damage (the USGS estimate that a quake of this size in this area would have a 35% chance of causing fatalities), though on this occasion no damage has been reported. The quake was felt in Almaty, the countries largest city and former capitol, where it reportedly caused considerable alarm.

The location of the 28 January Earthquake. Google Maps.

The quake occurred on the northern fringes of the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains, which form the border between Kyrgyzstan, Khazakhstan and China, and form part of the greater  Tian Shan range. 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.

The movement of India relative to Asia, and the blocks within the eastern part if the Eurasian Plate. University of Wollongong.

See also Earthquake under Lake Baikal, Earthquake in Tajikstan, Earthquake in Tuva Republic, southwest Siberia, Major Earthquake in southwestern Siberia and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.

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