On March 28th at 7:44 am, a 2.5 magnitude earthquake struck in Guye District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China. The epicenter was at a depth of 11 kilometers.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter was located at 39.77 degrees north latitude and 118.48 degrees east longitude. The average altitude within a 5-kilometer radius of the epicenter is approximately 79 meters.
Based on the catalog of rapid reports from the China Earthquake Networks Center, there have been a total of 12 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or above within 200 kilometers of the epicenter in the past five years. The largest earthquake was a 5.1 magnitude quake that occurred in Guye District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province on July 12, 2020, just 4 kilometers away from this recent earthquake’s epicenter.
Prior to this event, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck Yongqing County, Langfang City, Hebei Province at 1:21 am on March 26th, with a depth of 20 kilometers. By 7 am on that day, three aftershocks had been recorded, with the largest aftershock registering at 2.9 magnitude.
It is reported that Beijing, located only 13 kilometers from the epicenter, felt strong tremors with some residents being awakened by the shaking. Additionally, some areas in Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Langfang, and Xiong’an New Area in Hebei Province also reported feeling the earthquake. Keywords like “Tianjin earthquake” and “Beijing earthquake” quickly trended on Weibo that day.
In recent days, the frequent earthquakes in Hebei have sparked panic online. Many netizens expressed their concerns, with comments such as, “Oh no, another earthquake.” “How come Tangshan is experiencing earthquakes again? It’s so scary! It reminds me of the big earthquake in 1976.” “It seems like Hebei is entering an active seismic period.” “Can experts explain why there have been frequent small earthquakes in Hebei recently?”
Some netizens also remarked on the abnormal weather conditions, saying, “Today, it’s snowing heavily in Tianjin. Last weekend, people were already wearing short sleeves, and now it’s snowing heavily again. What kind of weather is this?” “Hebei is entering a high-risk earthquake period! Stay vigilant!” “Activate the earthquake early warning system.”