(TibetanReview.net, May12’25) – An earthquake of what China said was of 5.5-magnitutde has struck early this morning an area in Tibet that was previously hit also by the devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake of Jan 7 this year, according to Chinese state media. Though strongly felt, there are no immediate reports of casualties, perhaps because most of the people were living in makeshift shelters after the Jan 7 earthquake disaster.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Lhatse County in Shigatse City of Tibet Autonomous Region at 5:11 am Monday, with no casualties reported, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency, citing local authorities.
The epicentre was stated to have been monitored at 28.91 degrees north latitude and 87.54 degrees east longitude. The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.
local official in the county’s Chukhu village in Mangphu township have told China’s official China Daily that the quake was strongly felt, but no casualties have been reported as most residents were living in makeshift houses they were offered after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake early in January.
Earlier, on May 8, an earthquake of magnitude 3.7 jolted the region, noted independent.co.uk May 12. Before that, an earthquake of magnitude 3.9 hit the region on Apr 23, noted indiatvnews.com May 12, citing India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS) in an X post at that time.
This morning’s tremor came just months after a devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri county – about 240km (149 miles) from Shigatse – in January, which China said killed 126 people and injured over 180.
Shallow earthquakes like these are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth’s surface. This causes stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes, which lose energy as they travel to the surface, noted the indiatvnews.com report.
Tibet has experienced multiple massive earthquakes over the past few decades, including a devastating 8.6-magnitude quake in 1950.
According to a study published last year, the Indian tectonic plate – which collided with the Eurasian plate – is now gradually tearing apart beneath Tibet. This phenomenon, known as a “slab tear”, occurs when the upper crust of the Indian plate separates from its denser lower layer, generating considerable seismic activity, the independent.co.uk report noted.
While this deep subterranean rift is unlikely to produce visible surface fractures, it is said to have the potential to geologically divide Tibet into two distinct zones.