The 1902 Turkestan earthquake (also known as the Artux/Artush and Kashgar earthquake) devastated Xinjiang, China, near the Kyrgyzstan border. It occurred on August 22, 1902, at about 8:00 or 9:00 am local time with an epicenter near the Tien Shan mountains. The thrust earthquake measured 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and initiated at a depth of 18 km (11 mi). The Tien Shan mountains is situated in a zone of complex convergence caused by the Indian–Eurasian plate interaction. This zone is actively deforming—accommodated by active thrust faults responsible for seismic activity. The mainshock was preceded by an intense series of foreshocks in the years prior. Many aftershocks followed, several were larger than magnitude 6.0 and one measured magnitude 6.8–7.3. These aftershocks were