Second minor earthquake in a week detected in Beijing

A 3.0-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 19 kilometers was detected at 12:47pm on Sunday in Beijing's Huairou district, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

It is the second earthquake in a week that occurred in the capital, following a 2.9-magnitude earthquake in Beijing's Haidian district last Sunday.

Earthquake experts said minor quakes are normal in the area, as Beijing is located in the earth's rift zone. There is no need for worry.

Since Beijing is at the junction of the earthquake zone of Shanxi province, the North China Plain and Yanshan Mountain, it's normal for the capital to experience small quakes at a magnitude of two to three, said Sun Shihong, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, as quoted by Beijing News.

"There will be no major impact on those living or working in the capital," he said.

Seven rift belts are scattered through the plains in Beijing, mostly lying from the northeast to the southwest. Among those rift belts, active ones are more likely to trigger quakes.

Sun Jinzhong, a professor at the China University of Geosciences, said the rift zones are widely scattered through the country. In addition to Beijing, many other cities sit on large rift belts.

"Even the capital experienced some great quakes in history; only under certain circumstances will a large earthquake happen," he said, adding that when the internal energy of rift zones is stuck and cannot be released, a large quake will occur when those energies reach a certain limit.