What caused the Sichuan earthquake in China in 2008?

The quake was caused by the collision of the Indian-Australian and Eurasian plates along the 155-mile- (249-km-) long Longmenshan Fault, a thrust fault in which the stresses produced by the northward-moving Indian-Australian plate shifted a portion of the Plateau of Tibet eastward.

What damage was caused by the Sichuan earthquake?

At 2:28 pm on May 12, 2008, a catastrophic earthquake measuring 7.9 or 8 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan Province, killing around 90,000 people and injuring nearly 363,000, destroying more than 15 million homes, leaving 10 million homeless and 1.5 million displaced and causing more than $20 billion in damage.

How many houses were destroyed in the Sichuan earthquake?

Sichuan Provincial Government reports that 5.5 million houses have collapsed and that another 5.9 million were severely damaged. This has made millions of people homeless. In addition, afraid of after shocks, many people are reluctant to return to their apartments.

Why is the Sichuan earthquake important?

The earthquake left at least 5 million people without housing, although the number could be as high as 11 million. Millions of livestock and a significant amount of agriculture were also destroyed, including 12.5 million animals, mainly birds. In the Sichuan province a million pigs died out of 60 million total.

What did China do after the Sichuan earthquake?

Habitat for Humanity China responded in communities affected by a devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan province in south-western China in May 2008. With support from donors, partners, volunteers and local government officials, we worked on six housing projects designed for about 1,000 families.

How many animals died in the Sichuan earthquake?

Millions of livestock and a significant amount of agriculture were also destroyed, including 12.5 million animals, mainly birds. In the Sichuan province a million pigs died out of 60 million total.

What country has the worst earthquakes?

1. China. China experienced 157 earthquakes from 1900 to 2016, the highest number of earthquakes of any country. Most of these earthquakes happened in the southwest region of the country, where the terrain is highly mountainous.