6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes remote region of western China

 June 30, 2012 – CHINA – A magnitude 6.3 quake struck a remote region of western China, close to the Kazakhstan border, early on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.5, struck at 5:07 a.m. on Saturday (2107 GMT on Friday), and was centered 94 miles southwest of the town of Shihezi in Xinjiang province. “It’s a very quiet, remote, mountainous area that is sparsely populated. A the moment we have no report of any casualty or damage but we are watching closely,” USGS Geophysicist Chen Shengzao told Reuters by telephone from Golden, Colorado. The USGS said the quake was very shallow, only 6.1 miles below the Earth’s surface. Chen said that because of its magnitude and very shallow depth, the quake would have been widely felt. A 6.3 quake is capable of causing severe damage. –Reuters 

Landslides: At least 24 people were injured and hundreds of cattle died in collapsed sheds as a (6.3 USGS) 6.6-magnitude quake jolted China’s Xinjiang Uygur region Saturday and toppled several houses, authorities said. Strong tremors were felt widely in the region, including the regional capital of Urumqi, which shook many residents out of their beds and caused temporary blackouts at 5.07 a.m., Xinhua reported. According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the temblor’s epicenter was found in a mountainous area along the border of Hejing and Xinyuan counties. A large number of residential houses were toppled or damaged in Xinyuan county, and hundreds of cattle were killed after their sheds collapsed, said Ili Kazak prefecture government, which administers Xinyuan. The quake also triggered landslides and caused cave-ins on several national and regional highways in Xinjiang, bringing traffic to a halt. The CENC has launched an emergency response following the quake and local authorities have sent work teams and organized rescue efforts in the affected areas. –News Track