On the afternoon of June 16, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Haixi Prefecture in Qinghai Province, China. Residents in various areas of Qinghai reported strong tremors, with noticeable effects felt in Gansu, Xinjiang, and other regions. Furthermore, within less than 40 minutes after the main quake, seven aftershocks occurred, with the largest at magnitude 4.9.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck the Haixi Prefecture in Qinghai at 17:06 on June 16, with a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was located at 37.80 degrees north latitude and 95.56 degrees east longitude.
The villages within 5 kilometers of the epicenter include Datouyanggou, while the town within 20 kilometers is Dachaidan.
The epicenter is 18 kilometers from the administrative committee of Dachaidan, 165 kilometers from Golmud City, 166 kilometers from Delingha City, 200 kilometers from Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, 230 kilometers from Akse Kazakh Autonomous County, and 164 kilometers from Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and 567 kilometers from Xining City.
The average altitude within 5 kilometers of the epicenter is approximately 4272 meters.
As per the preliminary reports from the China Earthquake Networks Center, there have been a total of 50 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or higher within 200 kilometers of the epicenter in the past five years, with this earthquake being the strongest.
Subsequently, the hashtag “#HaixiEarthquake” started trending on Weibo, with many residents expressing their experiences of strong tremors in various locations.
Residents of Qinghai shared their accounts, such as, “There were strong tremors in Golmud City. During the first shake, the tables, windows, and cabinets on the fourth floor were all shaking, and the whole building felt like it was swaying. The second time I didn’t feel much. The third time, I happened to be in the bathroom, and the washing machine was shaking but not severely.” “Currently, no one is being allowed into houses in Dachaidan, it’s drizzling, and there was another significant aftershock.” “On the way from Dachaidan to Cold Lake, the tremors were very intense.” “At the Jade Lake Scenic Area, the epicenter was right next to me, the cars were shaking, and it was hard to stand steadily on the ground.”
“There were tremors in Dulan County.” “Tremors in Ulan County.” “In Huatu Gou (a subordinate town of Mangya City), I felt quite dizzy due to the earthquake.”
Apart from Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu, and other regions also reported noticeable tremors. Netizens mentioned, “Xinjiang also felt the impact.” “The high-rise buildings in Urumqi were swaying.” “The tremors were very apparent in Changji, Xinjiang.” “Korla also experienced tremors.” “There were tremors in Ruoqiang.”
“In Dunhuang, Gansu, the tremors were noticeable.” “Coordinates in Lanzhou, the lights at home were swaying.” “On the high-speed train from Wuwei to Lanzhou, many people’s phones started to sound alarms.”
Of note, there were seven aftershocks within 40 minutes following the earthquake.
At 17:12 on the 16th, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred, followed by a 3.8 magnitude quake at 17:19, a 3.0 magnitude quake at 17:26, another 3.0 magnitude quake at 17:29, a 3.1 magnitude quake at 17:34, a 4.4 magnitude quake at 17:42, and finally a 4.9 magnitude quake at 17:45.