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No earthquake in Beijing during Olympics - seismic experts

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-19 20:36

BEIJING -- China's seismic monitoring network has detected no signs of a possible strong earthquake in Beijing during the Olympic Games, said a senior expert of China Earthquake Networks Center here Saturday.

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The monitoring network in the area around Beijing is the most extensive in the country. It can detect an earthquake as light as magnitude-1.0, said Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of the China Earthquake Networks Center, at a press conference here.

In an area of 150,000 square kilometers between 38.5 and 41 north latitude as well as between 113 and 120 east longitude, there are 107 earthquake monitoring stations, the highest density network in China, Zhang said.

"Our experts are working round the clock to monitor the geophysical changes and analyze the data we collect," he said.

China Earthquake Administration began work with the Beijing city government and the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG) to develop contingency plans in case of earthquakes of different magnitude three years ago, said Yin Chaomin, deputy director of the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), at the same press conference.

Contingency plans are made about earthquake reporting, monitoring on its magnitude and information announcement, he said, "We even built several new monitoring stations near Beijing and another six co-host cities."

Meanwhile officials also rehearsed what to do in face of an earthquake during the Games and these cities also built refuges for the earthquakes, he said.

Beijing has built 31 refuges that are able to hold 3 million people, he said, adding,  "The Olympic stadiums and many buildings in Beijing are able to stand earthquakes of magnitude-8. There will not be big problems."