• A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit 57 miles north-west of Chengdu, China on May 11, 2008. The quake was the biggest to hit China since an 8.6 quake struck Tibet in 1950. A total of 80,000 people were killed and another 5 million were made homeless by the devastating tremor.

• Fast Facts

  1. Epicenter: 57 miles NW of Chengdu
  2. Hit at 2: 28 p.m. local time
  3. China Eastern Airlines (CEA) announced cancellation of flights to Chengdu
  4. Was downgraded to 7.5 but reissued at 7.8 magnitude
  5. A magnitude 6 quake hit same area 15 minutes afterward
  6. No tsunami warnings

• May 11, 2008 Earthquake

  Tremors could be felt in Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Hanoi, Vietnam.

  In February of 2009, scientists in China and the United States reported their belief that the tremor was a result of building Zipingpu Dam, located 3.4 miles from the epicenter, and the filling of a large reservoir. They reported that the construction of the dam on the Beichuan fault line, coupled with a steep rise in water in the reservoir in the six months before the quake, put a tremendous pressure on the fault line, causing it to weaken and fail.Scientific American: Great China earthquake may have been man-made (February 3, 2009)

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