Seismologist urges better quake-monitoring technology

A Chinese seismologist called for more research into earthquake-predicting technology on Tuesday, which marks the seventh anniversary of the quake which claimed more than 80,000 lives around Sichuan's Wenchuan County in 2008.

"The process requires enduring work," said Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of an earthquake forecast research institute under the China Earthquake Administration (CEA).

On the day when another 7.5-magnitude quake struck Nepal, following the 8.1-magnitude one last month, Zhang noted that we are in a seismically active period that began with the massive Sumatra quake in December 2004. Since then, the world has suffered a frequency of quakes above 8 magnitude that had not been seen since the first half of the 20th century.

China has been a big victim in this seismically active period, experiencing one 8-magnitude quake and four 7-magnitude quakes since 2008.

According to the CEA, China has set up over 3,100 earthquake monitoring sites countrywide, and seismic observation networks cover over 90 percent of the Chinese mainland.

Earthquakes occurring in two-thirds of the country can be reported within three minutes and accurate data can be collected and published within 30 minutes.

China has established an emergency response system consisting of central and local commanding bodies, quake rescue teams at national and provincial levels, and reserves of relief materials. Endi