Quakes regularly strike the western Tibetan Plateau region, where Wednesday's earthquake hit. Earthquakes are also common in China's southwestern Yunnan province and northern areas. The country's deadliest quakes in recent decades include:
| May 2008: 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits southwestern province of Sichuan; nearly 90,000 dead or missing |
| February 2003: 6.8-magnitude earthquake kills more than 260 in western region of Xinjiang |
| February 1996: 7.0-magnitude earthquake hits southwestern Yunnan province, more than 300 killed |
| July 1976: 7.8-magnitude quake levels northern city of Tangshan in Hebei province; official death toll estimate more than 240,000 |
| February 1975: 7.3 magnitude quake in northeastern province of Liaoning kills 1,300 people |
| May 1974: 7.1-magnitude quake hits Sichuan and Yunnan. Death toll estimates range between 10,000-20,000 |
| January 1970: Earthquake measuring at least 7.5 hits Yunnan; more than 15,600 people dead |
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters or AFP.
