China issues new earthquake map to make buildings safer, resistant

China will roll out a new seismic parameter map, which will help the nation to build safer structures by setting mandatory national standards, Xinhua learned Tuesday.

The "seismic ground motion parameter zonation map of China" will be used from Wednesday, according to the State Administration of Earthquakes (SAE).

Gao Mengtan, a research fellow at SAE geophysics institute, said the new map has been in production since 2007. The previous version was published in 2001.

To aid in the building of safer earthquake-proof structures, the map includes national standards for construction and anti-seismic design. All buildings and infrastructure must meet the basic criteria and minimum requirements outlined in the document.

Due to its size, China is one of the most active seismic zones in the world. Since 1900, on average, one 7.5-magnitude earthquake or above has occurred every five years on the mainland, and every decade has seen one measuring at least 8.0 magnitude. Endi