Rapid urbanization forces observatory relocation

TIANSHUI, Gansu - The little white building looks somewhat out of place, with a line-up of cranes in front, a logistic hub on its right and a school on its left.

It is the geomagnetic principal station under the Tianshui central seismological observatory. Set up in 1970, it was moved about 170 meters south to the current location, to keep pace with fast urbanization.

"After a negotiation, we moved the station and shifted the measuring tools underground," Wu Ying, director of the observatory, told China Daily.