Earthquakes threaten ancient rock art

A researcher checks the damage a recent earthquake made in Hutubi county.

Recent tremors acting as 'a wake-up call' for greater protection, scientists warn

When a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit Hutubi county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region earlier this month, concerns were raised that it might have damaged an important archaeological site just 5 kilometers away from the epicenter.

Fortunately, the Kangjiashimenji petroglyphs appear to have survived the quake, though it damaged 14,000 homes - 40 of which collapsed - and forced the relocation of more than 2,400 people after it struck at about 1:15 pm on Dec 8.

Gao Li, head of the bureau of cultural heritage in Hutubi, said no visible damage to the culturally significant petroglyphs had been identified.

"But it was a wake-up call. If we do not take more measures to protect the petroglyphs now, they could be susceptible to damage from earthquakes in future," she said, adding that fences on the site had been damaged by the tremors and a 20-meter-long crack had appeared in a nearby parking lot.

The petroglyphs are a set of engravings that date back more than 3,000 years, depicting hundreds of men and women taking part in some kind of mass fertility ritual.

They were carved into the side of a hill that can only be reached by a three-hour drive from the county seat of Hutubi. A few meters below the carvings is a natural platform, where the fertility rituals are believed to have taken place.