On the evening of February 20th, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Yinchuan, with residents reporting that the shaking lasted longer and felt stronger compared to the 4.6 and 4.8 earthquakes that had occurred consecutively on January 2nd.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake was officially recorded at 20:04 on February 20th, with an epicenter in Jinfeng District of Yinchuan, Ningxia, at a depth of 15 kilometers.
Villages within 5 kilometers of the epicenter include Chenjiaya Dam, Majiazhuang, Yanjiazhuang, Taqushao, Zhoujiazhuang, Wangjiazhuang, Liangjiazhuang, Dayan Lake, Yangfangqiao Zhuang, and Wulitai Village Fourth Team. Towns within 20 kilometers include Wangyuan Town, Xingjing Town, and Liangtian Town.
The epicenter was located 4 kilometers from Jinfeng District, 6 kilometers from Xingqing District, 10 kilometers from Xixia District, 18 kilometers from Yongning County, 19 kilometers from Helan County, and 4 kilometers from Yinchuan City.
Following the earthquake, Ningxia authorities initiated a level four emergency response.
Videos circulating online showed furniture shaking violently in rooms, accompanied by loud noises, prompting residents to run out of their homes and gather on the streets.
“This time the shaking was strong, the house swayed back and forth, I couldn’t even walk steadily holding my baby, my elderly mother couldn’t stand up due to dizziness, it was terrifying, afterwards my legs were weak,” one resident said. “Scary noises, it felt like the sound was right above my head,” another added. “From a little after 8 pm to 11:50 pm, there were three tremors in between.”
Earlier on January 2nd, Yinchuan, Ningxia experienced consecutive 4.8 and 4.6 earthquakes in Yongning County and Jinfeng District, marking the most significant seismic activity in Ningxia since the 4.9 earthquake in Haiyuan in 1998.