Information about earthquakes

Earthquakes are very important precursors of impending earthquakes, and many earthquakes were recorded in China history books before earthquakes. For example, in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Song Gaozong Hui Yuan was abolished in the second year (AD 474), and Shanxi's' Yanmen Qiqi City thundered, and ten Yusheng from top to bottom stopped the earthquake' (see Wei Shuling's Records), which is the earliest geosound record in the world. On February 18th, the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 734), an earthquake occurred in Qin Zhou. First, Zhou Qinren heard that there was an earthquake in the northwest of Zhangzhou (see the Five Elements of the Old Tang Dynasty).

In addition, such as Ming Xianzong Chenghua four years (AD 1468), on April 4th, Qiongzhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province, "there was an earthquake at four o'clock in the evening, and there was a southwest voice before the earthquake, followed by a great earthquake, which lasted for a long time" (see Volume 55 of Chenghua Records). In the 18th year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1679), on September 2nd, a lecture was held in Sanhe, Hebei Province, in the northwest. As the sound gradually reached the window lattice, the house shook and the wall leaned. When everything else was done, I retired and dozed off. On August 1 day, 2006, a few minutes before the earthquake in Heze, Shandong Province, there was a long thunder until the earthquake occurred. Both are examples of ground sound before earthquakes.

Second, ground lighting.

Before some strong earthquakes, bright flashes often appear over the earthquake zone. This luminous phenomenon is called ground light, and it is also an important precursor of the upcoming earthquake. There are also many records about this kind in history books. For example, on February 4, the third year of Yuankang (AD 293),' Chengdu was on fire overnight and the ground was an earthquake' (Volume 8 of Huayang Guozhi). On the night of May 26th, the fourth year of Emperor Wu of Ming Dynasty (1509), Hubei' Wuchang House saw blue light flashing like electricity for six or seven times, and the sound was like thunder drums, which was also an earthquake' (Volume 55 of Wanli Record). On December 30th, the eighth year of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 15 13), there was a fireboat in Yuejuan County, Sichuan Province, and the Wusu earthquake occurred the next day (see the Record of Zheng De 107). These two examples are that the earth light appeared before the earthquake, and at the same time the earth sound appeared together. On April 3rd, the tenth year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1637), Yuanjiang, Hubei Province,' When the sky rings, there is light, and when the ground moves, all the roofs and tiles move' (Records of Yuanjiang County, Kangxi). In the ninth year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1652), on March 24th, Yingshang, Anhui Province, "Red light filled the city, people and animals were shocked, houses were shaken, and ships in Hanoi were subverted countless times" (Yingshang County Records of Shunzhi).

Third, the foreshock

Before a big earthquake, there are often a series of small earthquakes and small earthquakes, which are called foreshocks. There are many earthquake cases that recorded foreshocks in the history of China. For example, in the first year of Jiajing of Sejong in the Ming Dynasty (15 12), a series of earthquakes occurred in Yunnan on the 13th, and a major earthquake occurred in Yunnan in August (two applications for field records). Another example is July 25th (1668), the seventh year of the Qing Emperor Kangxi. There were earthquakes in Zhenjiang prefecture and Danyang, Jiangsu province, and there were slight earthquakes a few days earlier. The sun was very strong, the mountains shook, the river surged, the boat was drowned, and the houses inside and outside the city were not counted' (see the records of Zhenjiang House in Kangxi era and Danyang County in Qianlong era).

These two examples show that there are foreshocks several months or days before a major earthquake, which can be used to predict major earthquakes.

In the 14th year of Jiaqing (A.D. 1809), on August 11th, in Zheng 'an, Guizhou Province, the Luogan River suddenly saw rocks rolling down, and residents were preparing to move cattle and sheep to the mountains. After the relocation, the houses collapsed, the soil in the fields was completely turned over, and the mountain springs condensed into pools, which were unfathomable "(Daoguang Zunyi House and Guangxu Zhengan House).

This shows that there were foreshocks in Xiaoxi and Luoganxi before the earthquake. After the local people observed it, they immediately took measures to transfer people's and animals' property to safety, which is a good measure to prevent major earthquakes by using foreshock phenomenon.

Fourth, groundwater anomalies.

Before strong earthquakes, groundwater often changes abnormally. For example, in the seventh year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (BC 1668), an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 occurred in Tancheng, Shandong Province, and it was recorded that rivers suddenly dried up in several places:

In Shouguang, Shandong Province, the day before the earthquake, I heard the sound of the river rushing. I sent my son to explore, but found nothing, or the river in Midan suddenly dried up the day before the cloud (Shouguang County Records of the Republic of China cited the legacy of the Youth Society).

Ganyu, Jiangsu Province' first it rained bitterly for several months, and then the South Canal rose overnight and dried up, and people were different' (Kangxi's Haizhou Zhi quoted Ni Changxi's Earthquake).

In addition to observing and recording this remarkable change in water quantity, in some ancient books, there are records of changes in the composition, color and taste of groundwater before the earthquake. For example, in the third year of Song Zhezong Fuyuan (1 100) in February, the water in Xilun Xinlu turned red like a flowing Dan, and suddenly the terrain was tilted, and the waves were boiling like thunder, which surprised all layers. In addition, there are records such as' the well water suddenly becomes turbid' and' the well water turns sour, but the sweetness is the opposite'.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) meteorological anomaly

Meteorological anomalies before the earthquake, such as high temperature and heat, sudden thunderstorms, hurricanes, haze, droughts and floods, strange clouds, etc., are frequently recorded in history books, as can be seen from the following examples.

In the 18th year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (BC 1679), before the Sanhe and Pinggu earthquakes with M = 8, serious heat anomalies occurred, which caused serious harm to people and animals.

In the 16th year of Emperor Gaozong of Qing Dynasty (175 1), on May 25th, Jianchuan, Yunnan, was annoyed by the intense heat and was very angry.

In the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty (177 1), on August 13th, Jingjiang, Jiangsu Province was hit by a "late earthquake" (Records of Jingjiang County, Xianfeng).

In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty (1556), 1 23, hua county, Shaanxi Province was' dark and miserable, it was midnight, and the moonlight was dull' ("Qin Long Slippery State Records").

In the 12th year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1655), on March 18th, Weinan was' ugly at night, cloudy in the sky, and suddenly there was a big earthquake like thunder' (Annals of Weinan County in Shunzhi).

In the 19th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (A.D. 1680), on September 9th, Chuxiong, Yunnan Province,' From the northwest, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sound was like thunder, shaking hundreds of miles' (The Official History of Chuxiong, Kangxi).

In the second year of Qianlong (AD 1737), Dongchuan, Yunnan Province,' The day before the earthquake, Yunshan was foggy like dusk, and it was suspected of rain, so I didn't know there was an earthquake' (The Official History of Yongzheng Dongchuan).

In the 50th year of Emperor Gaozong in Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1785), April 18th, Yongchang, Gansu Province, "The eighth day (April 16th) was a gale, and the second day was an earthquake" (Xuantong Xinzhi).

On May 19, the 24th year of Jiaqing in Renzong, Qing Dynasty (A.D.1865438+July 2009 10), during May 10 in Jiaqing, Sichuan Province, there was a torrential rain, an earthquake at night and the flood rose several feet (.

On June 12, the tenth year of Daoguang reign of Xuanzong in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1830), the Japanese side was very dizzy and steaming (Guangxu Linzhang County Records).

In the sixth year of Xianfeng reign of Emperor Wenzong of Qing Dynasty (AD 1856), on June 10th, Qianjiang, Sichuan, the sun was dim for several days, and the atmosphere was abnormal, which was even worse (Records of Qianjiang County in Guangxu).

There are many other earthquake cases, such as' the sun is dim, the wind is hazy at noon, and the moon can't be seen at night', so I won't repeat them here. As for the strange cloud shape, it was recorded in the annals of Longde County, Ningxia in 24 years of the Republic of China:' It's sunny and warm, and the sky is clear in Wan Li. Suddenly, dark clouds are like wisps, just like a long snake, which stretches in the air for a long time. It must be an earthquake.' Not long after, sure enough, an earthquake happened. It has been confirmed today that radial clouds, banded clouds, grassy clouds, ribbed clouds and interference fringe clouds are all precursors before earthquakes, so they are called' earthquake clouds'.

Six, animal abnormalities

Fish, birds, snakes, cats, rats, dogs and cows are very sensitive to the stimulation of sound waves and shock waves, so they often have abnormal reactions before earthquakes. The abnormal reactions of these animals before the earthquake have been recorded in the history of China since the Tang Dynasty. For example, there is a saying in Zhan Jing's Mirror in Kaiyuan:' Rats gathered in the streets of the imperial court and screamed, and the local area was slaughtered.'

It shows that before the earthquake, there were rats chirping in groups.

In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing reign of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1556) 1 23, the northwest wind and rain, birds and animals singing and earthquakes thundering came from the inner city of Zheng County, Henan Province (Records of Zhengzhou, Shunzhi).

In the 20th year of Jiaqing of Renzong in Qing Dynasty (18 15), after a strong earthquake occurred in Pinglu, Shanxi Province, the experience in this respect was also summarized. "Yuxiang County Records" once clearly pointed out:' Cattle and horses raise their heads, chickens and dogs make noise, even an earthquake will be tested.'

After long-term observation of abnormal animal reactions before the earthquake, some Chinese ancestors in the earthquake area also got the understanding that "land and water are different" before the earthquake. For example, on March 3, 20061day, fish in Daguan, Yunnan Province floated on the water one month before the earthquake. A few days before the earthquake, the river surged and all the fish jumped to the shore.

As can be seen from the above, the records of earthquake precursor anomalies in China history are indeed very rich; In addition, our ancestors in China were able to successfully predict and prevent some earthquakes based on precursor anomalies. For example, in the fifth year of Emperor Wenzong of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1855), the Chinese ancestors in Jinxian County, Liaoning Province predicted a destructive earthquake according to the sound, and the archives of the Forbidden City recorded:

There was a thunderous sound before the earthquake, so the residents there had already taken precautions and escaped from the house. So many people were not crushed to death, and only seven people, men, women and children, were injured. '

As mentioned earlier, before the strong earthquake occurred in Zheng 'an, Guizhou on August 1 1 in the 14th year of Jiaqing in Renzong, Qing Dynasty, local residents quickly took preventive measures according to this foreshock activity and moved their equipment and cattle and sheep to safety. In addition, in the 20th year of Jiaqing (18 15), a strong earthquake occurred in Pinglu, Shanxi. Before the earthquake, the ancestors of China made a forecast according to the abnormal weather. "Yuxiang County Records" reads:' It rained for forty days on August 6th, and the basin was inclined to the eaves, but it was slightly sunny after the Double Ninth Festival, and it was very heavy on the 13th. People of insight in rural areas should adjust to the rainstorm and it will be hot the day after tomorrow, so it is appropriate to prevent earthquakes. '

Later, sure enough, the house collapsed and there was a strong earthquake.

China ancestors' prediction of earthquakes is not limited to individual earthquake precursors; They also consider all the precursor phenomena of earthquake prediction from a comprehensive perspective. For example, Yinchuan Xiaozhi, written in the 20th year of Emperor Gaozong of Qing Dynasty (1755), recorded a cook who cooked in the government and several fellow villagers in the early Qing Dynasty, and said in the book:

Most earthquakes in Ningxia are in spring and winter, such as sudden turbidity of well water, scattered gunfire and barking of dogs, to prevent this disaster. '

It can be seen from this record that the ancestors of China not only thought that the time of earthquakes in Ningxia was mostly in spring and summer; More importantly, they put forward the relationship between well water changes, ground sound and animal anomalies and earthquakes, and have already had the idea of predicting earthquakes by integrating various precursor phenomena. This comprehensive view is in line with the scientific spirit, because earthquakes are a complex natural phenomenon. To make an accurate prediction of its occurrence, we must adopt various ways and means to comprehensively analyze and study the data obtained by various observation methods from different angles, rather than simply making earthquake prediction based on some abnormal phenomenon.

Earthquake resistance and measures in ancient China.

In order to reduce and avoid casualties and losses caused by earthquakes, it is also very important to take earthquake-proof measures. China's ancestors also accumulated a lot of experience in this respect and found some feasible methods and measures.

China's forefathers have gained a lot of personal experience in building earthquake resistance. Taiwan Province Province is the province with the most frequent earthquakes in China. When the ancestors of Taiwan Province Province in ancient China built the city, they had noticed the characteristic that "the platform (referring to Taiwan Province Province) rarely did not vibrate all the year round" and adopted certain anti-seismic measures. For example, in Danshui, some city walls are made of bamboo and wood. Using bamboo and wood to build a city is not only economical and convenient, but also has good flexibility, light weight and high earthquake resistance, so it is a good earthquake-resistant building material. The ancestors of other earthquake-stricken areas in China also had this experience. For example, in places where earthquakes often occur in Yunnan, materials such as Vitex negundo and Muxucao are often used as walls, which is also selected according to this principle.

In order to be durable, safe and reliable, when the ancestors of China started to build houses, bridges, towers and temples, they generally attached great importance to solid foundations, solid buildings and good integrity. Especially in earthquake-prone areas, they pay more attention to the threat of earthquakes and carefully consider these problems. From the investigation of ancient buildings in China, we can see the outstanding wisdom of China ancestors in this respect. They have rich knowledge of seismic design and construction. For example, Guanyin Pavilion, Dule Temple in Jixian County, Tianjin, a wooden tower over 60 meters high in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, and the Zhao Zhouqiao across the water built in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province in the Sui Dynasty all have a history of about 1000 years. They are all located in the earthquake-prone area of North China. After many earthquakes of different degrees, it still stands tall, which can not only prove the outstanding achievements of Huaxia ancestors in building technology, but also provide people with research on the seismic performance of buildings.

After the earthquake, some houses collapsed and some were damaged, and aftershocks continued, and life and property continued to be threatened. In this case, how to prevent earthquakes? This is also a very important issue. Ancient books also recorded many methods of Chinese ancestors, which are roughly as follows: building houses with boards, mats, thatch and other things or avoiding open spaces to reduce casualties and losses. Records of this can be found in the Song Dynasty at the earliest. After the Song Dynasty, there were countless historical books, such as:' The dweller was afraid of being overwhelmed, making thatch into a house',' In the nursery, wearing a star-studded tree, laying grass as a sleeping place',' living in its side gap, setting up a tree as a shed and knotting grass as a reed' and so on. These methods have really played an effective role in earthquake prevention and disaster relief. It is also clearly recorded in the history books. For example, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred in Cixian County, Hebei Province on April 22nd in the Daoguang Decade of Xuanzong in Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1830). After the earthquake, another strong aftershock occurred on May 7th. Fortunately, residents exposed in advance or set up tents to live (perches), so the population did not die (Archives of the Forbidden City). Because these earthquake-proof measures are simple, safe and effective, they have been used ever since.

The ancient ancestors of China not only mastered a lot of knowledge about earthquake prevention and earthquake resistance before and after the earthquake, but also had valuable experience on how to take emergency measures to avoid casualties when there was a strong earthquake. In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, Sejong, Ming Dynasty (AD 1556), an earthquake of magnitude 8 occurred in Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province. Qin Keda, a survivor of the earthquake, wrote an important book "Seismological Records" based on his own personal experience and the facts he heard and witnessed, and put forward emergency measures for the earthquake. He said:

..... Because it is a resident's house, when the partition floor is put, a wooden bed is erected inside, so it is difficult to get sick, but it is still to be determined. Even if there is a nest, the eggs can be finished; If you can't do it, you can choose the gap in advance and avoid it. "

Today, the earthquake prediction technology is still not ideal. When the earthquake happened suddenly, it was too late to run out of the house and hide under solid furniture to avoid being crushed to death. This is still an important measure in today's earthquake prevention and earthquake resistance. It can be seen that this method proposed by Qin Keda more than 400 years ago is very valuable.