6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes remote region of China: fourth major quake to rattle the planet in 3 days

August 12, 2012 – CHINA – A shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled western China Sunday on the border between Xinjiang and Tibet, the US Geological Survey said. The quake’s epicentre, at a shallow depth of nine kilometres (5.6 miles), was in a remote area of the border region some 280 kilometres east of Hotan town, the USGS said. The quake struck at around 6:45 pm (1045 GMT) and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The China Earthquake Networks Centre measured it as a 6.2-magnitude quake, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. A similar 6.3-magnitude quake jolted Xinjiang on June 30, injuring at least 24 people, according to state media. Xinjiang is a vast region with a population of around 20 million, of whom some nine million are Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking, mainly Muslim ethnic minority. –AFP