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Published online 4 November 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.1062
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Aftershocks can last for centuries
Why earthquakes might happen in unexpected places.
Some tremors may be aftershocks of bigger earthquakes that occurred hundreds of years ago, researchers say.
Scientists assess earthquake risks mainly by looking at fault movements and seismic activity along the boundaries of tectonic plates, where most quakes take place.
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I am a teacher of physics in Nanjing, PRC. From 2007/9 I worked in Xi'an where I carried out some research into the damage caused to the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum. The official line is that the damage was caused by marauding rebel armies, an explanation that does not stand scientific scrutiny. I have extensive evidence to support my theory that the Warriors were the victims of the earthquakes in the Shaanxi graben (not Shanxi) noted in this article, I believe that the earthquakes also destroyed artefacts in the hundreds of pits on the 56 square kilometre site and by liquefaction mechanisms similar to those at work in the New Madrid Zone reduced the height and altered the shape of the mausoleum mound. By a remarkable coincidence, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck in this area last week (5 November 2009) at the same time as the publication of Stein and Liu's work. No damage to the warriors has been reported. (34.5 N: 109.2 E. 07:31 local time: GMT 8). The Emperor's burial chamber has probably suffered the fate of the town of New Madrid and sunk to a position well below the original. The most significant fact is that the 1556 epicentre (M8) is only 40 km from the Qin mausoleum and the Terra Cotta Warriors resting place.