China has announced a series of investments to fund seismic research on plate tectonics in earthquake-prone regions. "Annual funds of 30 million yuan (approximately $ 4,6 million) will be allocated to the research program over a five-year period," said the head of the Chinese seismological bureau Zheng Guoguang. The seismological research program - he continued - will help scientists understand the rhythm of seismic activities, will allow an assessment of the risks and foresees, among other things, the construction of anti-seismic buildings and the provision of specific information services on the phenomenon of earthquakes. Last August, China was hit by two earthquakes, one measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan province, and the other (measuring 6.6) in the Mongolian prefecture of Bortala.
