An earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter Scale jolted an unpopulated area of the Kunlun Mountain, on the border between Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in west China, at 5:26 p.m. Wednesday, according to sources from China Seismological Bureau.

The sources said that the quake occurred in unpopulated land with altitude of over 5,000 meters, and so far no casualties have been reported.

The quake's epicenter was at 36.2 degrees north latitude and 90.9 degrees east longitude in Qarilik County of Xinjiang. The spot is about 350 kilometers from Golmud city, a transportation hub in Qinghai Province.

People in neighboring regions including the northern part of Sichuan Province, Zadoi County in Qinghai, and the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province reported feeling the quake.

( November 15, 2001)