Tibet to trial run earthquake early warning system

LHASA - Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region will start operation of an earthquake early warning system on a trial basis within this year, the regional earthquake administration said Thursday.

The system can send alerts to places where seismic waves have not yet reached after an earthquake, a few seconds to tens of seconds in advance so that emergency measures can be taken, said Zhang Jun, deputy head of the administration.

The project to build the system was initiated on July 30, 2021, with a total investment of 28.33 million yuan (about $4.43 million).

Tibet registers an average of about 2,900 earthquakes of magnitude 1.0 or above each year, including about five to six destructive earthquakes of magnitude 5 or above. It is one of the most seismically active regions in China.