Just a couple of hours ago, the USGS reported a 6.9 magnitude quake hit the southern region of Qinghai, China. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the remote rural area, though witnesses described houses quickly crumbling. The area near Tibet was was hit with a follow-up 5.8 magnitude quake.

The center of the quake struck 150 miles Northwest of Qamdo, Xizang (Tibet) and 235 miles Southeast of Golmud, Qinghai. The quake sent residents fleeing as it toppled many houses made of mud and wood.

A local government Web site put the county’s population in 2005 at 89,300, a community of mostly herders and farmers. In 2004, the population of the entire province was approximately 5.39 million people. Qinghai, located on the Northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, was only recently made a province of China.

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