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| Earthquake Warning System Set for Qinghai-Tibet Railway |
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An earthquake warning system along the world's highest railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, is expected to go into operation in August in southwest
The Nagqu seismic observation station, linked to 10 earthquake monitors, is based about four kilometers northeast of The station is part of the seismic warning network the central government plans to complete by the end of 2010 at a cost of 13 million yuan (US$1.67 million) along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, said Cao said the Nagqu post was the first earthquake monitoring station in Construction of the post has been completed and it will begin trial operation in August. The system, capable of monitoring all earthquakes above three on the Richter scale in The post would also closely monitor the Qinghai-Tibet Railway as moderate quakes measuring up to six occurred most years in the area the railway passed through, said Chen. "About 5,000 people take the railway every day. At the Nagqu post, we can better ensure their safety and minimize quake damage," he said. Trains would stop automatically within minutes of the station warning of an earthquake, and rescue teams would be dispatched. "We cannot specify exactly how far in advance we can forecast an earthquake, but if one is near, even a second can save lives," Chen said. Before the new system, there was only one earthquake warning station near Cao played down concerns over safety on the railway, saying the engineers had taken the special conditions of the plateau into consideration from the start, and many precautions had been included. "No earthquake has been recorded along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway during its first year," he said. (Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2007) |
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