China News Service, May 12 - According to the National Earthquake Networks, at 14:28 on May 12, Beijing Time, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan.
Overview of Wenchuan County:
Natural Geography - Wenchuan County is located on both sides of the Min River in the northwestern part of Sichuan Province and the southeastern part of the Aba Prefecture. It is the southern gateway to the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, known as the "Western Lock" and the "Qiang Gateway". It is also the hometown of Dayu. The county town - Wecho Town, is situated at the confluence of the Zagu Brain River and the Min River in the northern part of the county, with an altitude of 1326 meters. It is 159 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu and 204 kilometers away from the prefectural seat Maerkang. The county stretches 84 kilometers from east to west and 105 kilometers from north to south, covering a total area of 4084 square kilometers. It lies between latitudes 30°45′N and 31°43′N and longitudes 102°51′E and 103°44′E. To the east are Pengzhou City and Dujiangyan City, to the south are Chongqing and Dayi counties, to the west are Baoxing and Xiaojin counties, to the northwest and northeast are Lixian and Maoxian counties respectively. The northeastern part is controlled by the Longmen Mountain range while the southwestern part is constrained by the Qionglai mountain system. The terrain tilts from the northwest to the southeast. In the west, there are many mountains over 3000 meters in altitude, including the four peaks mountain which has an altitude of 6250 meters; in the southeast, the outlet of the Min River in the Xuan Kou area has an altitude of only 780 meters. The Min River enters from the northern part of the county and runs through the eastern part for a length of 88 kilometers. The Zagu Brain River, Caopo River, and Shoujiang River are the main tributaries of the Min River within the county, flowing into the Min River respectively in the north, east, and south parts. Along the valleys of the Min River and its major tributaries and the semi-mountainous areas, they form the main economic activity zones of the county. The western part is less developed; the southwestern part is home to the famous national-level nature reserve - Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, officially established as the Wolong Special Administrative Region in 1970. The world's top giant panda research center is located here.