Quakes hit harder, but not as often Nation was shaken 19 times, killing 37 and causing $2.2b in damage

China experienced fewer major earthquakes this year — but those that did hit were stronger than average, according to the latest data from the China Earthquake Administration.

The mainland had been rocked 13 times by quakes above magnitude 5.0 as of Friday, down from the annual average of 20, Liu Guiping, deputy director of the administration’s China Earthquake Networks Center, said on Tuesday.

Another six temblors were also recorded in Taiwan, she added.

Quakes caused 37 deaths on the mainland as well as 14.6 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) in direct economic losses.

The strongest this year struck on Aug 8 in Jiuzhaigou, a popular scenic spot in Sichuan province. Registering magnitude 7, the most powerful since 2015, the quake left 29 dead, 525 injured, and caused 8 billion yuan in damage, Liu said.

The disaster severely damaged the environment in Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, causing a drop in tourists from home and abroad, which had “immeasurable indirect economic losses”, the administration said.

The Sichuan government has said it will invest 11.8 billion yuan in post-quake reconstruction, of which 48 percent will be used to build infrastructure and 16 percent will go toward fixing geological hazards.

Though fewer earthquakes were recorded in 2017 on the mainland, the casualties and economic losses they brought were heavier than last year.” official at the China Earthquake Administration

Liu Guiping,

“Though fewer earthquakes were recorded in 2017 on the mainland, the casualties and economic losses they brought were heavier than last year,” Liu said.

Taiwan saw fewer and weaker temblors this year, data from the administration show. No quake of magnitude 7 or above was recorded on the island this year, compared with an annual average of two to three.

Both China and the world seem to have had a relatively stable year.

Globally, only eight quakes with a magnitude higher than 8 occurred in 2017, while the annual average is 18. Over 1,100 people were killed, preliminary results from the Chinese administration show, “which is around the same level as last year”, Liu added.