Is it possible to have an earthquake of magnitude 8 in Shanxi?

According to the existing records, there have been three major earthquakes in Shanxi history, namely 1303 Hongdong M8.0 earthquake in Shanxi, 1683 Yuanping M8.0 earthquake in Shanxi and 1695 Linfen M8 earthquake in Shanxi. There is no doubt that Shanxi Province, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, is indeed one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization in China, and other rivers such as Sanggan River pass through it.

But at the same time, there are a series of fault basins in Shanxi province, which constitute a special geographical feature: fault basins are prone to seismic activity, and their distribution trend is S-shaped in the northeast. From the specific distribution position, Shanxi fault depression zone should belong to the fault zone on the east and south edge of Ordos fault block, with a total area of about 35,522 square kilometers.

From the structural composition, Shanxi seismic belt is mainly composed of a series of fault basins, such as Datong Basin, Taiyuan Basin, Yuncheng Basin, Linfen Basin and Ding Xin Basin. In fact, the distribution of China's seismic belts is mainly concentrated in North China, Southwest China, Southeast Coast, Northwest China and Taiwan Province Province. Only after the 20th century, there have been about 800 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above in these dozens of seismic zones, and from the existing data, the frequency and intensity of seismic zones in North China where Shanxi is located.

First of all, we need to understand the basic fact that earthquakes are a very common natural phenomenon. As far as the living environment of ordinary people is concerned, it is not only a certain area in China that happens frequently, but also more than 5 million earthquakes of different sizes and epicenters occur every year on the whole earth. Judging from all the planets in the universe, human beings have landed on the moon six times more than 50 years ago, and there are also phenomena that the moon's shell releases energy and causes vibration, which also happens frequently.

As we all know, the internal structure of the earth is mainly divided into crust, mantle and core, and the location of earthquakes mainly occurs in the crust (about 35 kilometers thick) and asthenosphere. Although there are many possible causes of earthquakes, such as volcanic earthquakes and collapse earthquakes, the destructive power and main causes of earthquakes are still concentrated on plate activities. In those areas located in the earthquake zone, as long as there is a squeezing collision between plates, or the plates themselves and their internal dislocation, the energy generated in this process will be quickly released from under the crust, and scientists can evaluate the earthquake level through the seismic waves formed in this process.

The activity of Shanxi seismic belt needs to be combined with the characteristics of North China seismic belt. In the past 600 years, North China has experienced two relatively active earthquake periods, namely 148 1 to 1730, which lasted for 250 years, and 1668 to 1690, which lasted for 27 years. It is true that there was a major earthquake in Shanxi during the first period of active earthquakes in North China, but there was no earthquake of magnitude 6 or above in the following decades. Although the Shanxi seismic belt may be in the late period of the second seismic activity, from the background, it is unlikely that there will be a major earthquake in Shanxi in recent years, and the land acquisition is at a low level of seismic activity.

The earth revolves around the sun for four seasons, and at the same time the earth is spinning. Such activities will inevitably lead to the differentiation of materials inside the planet, so it presents its own unique crustal tectonic movement. In fact, the occurrence of earthquakes is inevitable for areas located in the earthquake zone, but the destructive power of most earthquakes will not have much impact on people's lives. And at present, there is no technology that can know earthquakes in advance like weather forecast. Some areas can receive earthquake information before they feel the earthquake because there is an earthquake far away from you. It is the arrival of seismic waves that let the instrument know that there is an earthquake.

Judging from the current situation, because the frequency of earthquakes is very high and the intensity of earthquakes is unpredictable, it is very important for everyone to know some methods of self-help during earthquakes. At the same time, for those areas located in or near the earthquake zone, it is especially necessary to improve the building quality. As long as our shelter can stand the test of earthquake, it will generally not cause too much life danger. Earthquakes may indeed cause disasters, but we don't need to panic when there is a sense of shock. After all, it is still a relatively small probability event, which can fundamentally reduce the risk from the quality of the house.