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Magnitude 8 earthquake risk on rise in China and surrounding regions, study warns

06 April 2025 21:50 (UTC +04:00)

Days before a devastating magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Myanmar, flattening buildings and killing thousands, a team of Chinese seismologists published a study warning of a heightened risk of such disasters in the area, APA reports citing South China Morning Post.

With the death toll now estimated to have passed 3,000, the seismologists have predicted the March 28 quake will not be the last such incident, with their research indicating there is currently a higher risk of catastrophic earthquakes across China and neighbouring regions.

The timing of the research, which links seismic cycles to fluctuations in the Earth’s rotation, has sparked intense debate about whether the planet’s tectonic stress fields are entering a dangerous new phase.

The peer-reviewed study, led by senior engineer Zhu Hongbin with the Beijing Earthquake Agency, was published on March 20 in the Journal of Geodesy and Geodynamics, an academic publication run by the China Earthquake Administration.