3.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Wenchuan County, Sichuan with Epicenter at 10 Kilometers Deep

On the afternoon of March 18, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake occurred at 15:19 on March 18 with a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was located at 31.22 degrees north latitude and 103.44 degrees east longitude. The average altitude within 5 kilometers of the epicenter is about 2292 meters.

Following the earthquake in Wenchuan, it quickly became a trending topic on Weibo.

Netizens expressed their concerns, saying, “Wow, seeing this trending topic made me pause for a moment, hoping everyone is safe.” “Wenchuan earthquake, regardless of the magnitude, always makes us feel anxious. After all, this was once the everlasting pain of the Chinese people.” “Suddenly seeing news about the Wenchuan earthquake, my heart skipped a beat.”

A science popularization blogger and Weibo influencer named “Fengyun DreamFar” posted, “This is the Wenchuan-Maowen fault zone (part of the Longmenshan Mountain back mountain fault). Although it is some distance from the epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008, it is still a wide fault rupture area and may be an aftershock. This earthquake will not cause destructive impact but may lead to slight tremors in the surrounding areas.”

On May 12, 2008, at 2:28 p.m., Wenchuan County was hit by a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake that shocked both domestic and international communities.

The earthquake affected multiple provinces including Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, making it one of the most devastating earthquakes since the Tangshan earthquake. The disaster caused severe damage in various aspects such as health, housing, school buildings, communication, transportation, landforms, water conservancy, ecology, and ethnic minority cultures, resulting in a high number of casualties. What angered the public was that many school buildings collapsed due to substandard construction quality, leading to the deaths of numerous students.

According to a report from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, as of 12:00 on September 25, 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake confirmed 69,227 fatalities, 374,643 injuries, and 17,923 missing persons. However, a survey conducted by the non-governmental organization Bashu Alliance indicated that the actual death toll from the earthquake was around 300,000, with over 30,000 student fatalities, many of whom were preschoolers.