The seismicity of central and eastern Asia is caused by the northward movement of the India plate at a rate of and its collision with Eurasia , resulting in the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan plateaux and associated earthquake activity . This deformation also results in the extrusion of crustal material from the high Tibetan Plateaux in the west towards the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China . China frequently suffers large and deadly earthquakes . In August 1933 , the magnitude 7.5 Diexi earthquake , about northeast of today 's earthquake , destroyed the town of Diexi and surrounding villages , and caused many landslides , some of which dammed the rivers . The map of earthquake intensity published by CEA after surveying of the affected area shows a maximum '' liedu '' of XI on the China Seismic Intensity Scale ( CSIS ) , described as " very destructive " on the European Macroseismic Scale ( EMS ) from which CSIS drew reference . ( USGS , using the Modified Mercalli intensity scale ( CC ) , also placed maximum intensity at XI , " extreme " . ) Two south-west-north-east stripes of liedu XI are centered around Yingxiu , Wenchuan ( the town closest to the epicenter of the main quake ) and Beichuan ( the town repeatedly struck by strong aftershocks including one registering 6.1 on August 1 , 2008 ) , both in Sichuan Province , occupying a total of . The Yingxiu liedu-XI zone is about long and wide along Wenchuan – Dujiangyan – Pengzhou ; the Beichuan liedu-XI zone is about long and wide along An County – Beichuan – Pingwu . The area with liedu X ( comparable to X on EMS , " destructive " and X on MM , " disastrous " ) spans . The area affected by earthquakes exceeding liedu VI totals , occupying an oval long and wide , spanning three provinces and one autonomous region
Diexi earthquake
1933 Diexi earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake