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A string of nearly 30 seismic jolts hit the province in the first 24 hours following Monday’s quake and slowed the progress of 1,300-strong rescue teams. All of those quakes were magnitude 4.0 and above.¹

The China earthquake that hit this morning is the worst they have experienced in decades. Read more about it, see new photos, a video and a map China below.¹

Faults on land, like the San Andreas Fault near Palmdale, California (top), are similar to those in the ocean, like the Atlantis Transform Fault in the Atlantic Ocean (bottom, three times vertical exaggeration). But in many ways, oceanic faults are easier to study and offer the potential to discover fundamental aspects about earthquakes that are applicable to land.²

The China earthquake struck in the middle of the afternoon when classes and office towers were full, about 60 miles northwest of Chengdu. There were several smaller aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.³

In Beichuan county, just east of the epicenter, up to 5,000 people were killed and 80 per cent of buildings collapsed, Xinhua said. Another 10,000 people were injured.⁴

Canadian Solar Inc. announced that it has signed a new contract with German City Solar Group to deliver 60MW of solar modules for a series of solar power station projects in Spain. Shipment will start immediately.¹

Shares of Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ) are a little brighter on news after the close on Tuesday that the solar cell manufacturer was upgraded to “buy” from “hold” by investment bank Lazard Capital Markets. The analysts point to the fact that the China-based company has already secured most of the raw material it needs during fiscal 2008, according to news reports.²

The solar energy market has grown exponentially over the last several years, as nearly $2 billion of venture capital flooded the marketplace worldwide. The stock market value of solar energy companies ballooned 4,750% globally between 2003 and 2007, proving that Canadian Solar is in the right panel.³

In a research note published yesterday, the analysts mention that the upgrade in rating follows the recent decline in the company?s share price, which reflects the volatility in the solar sector. Canadian Solar continues to strengthen its long-term competitive positioning by building a flexible sourcing model, which would shield the company from a potential imbalance in the supply/demand conditions, Lazard Capital believes.⁴

The “Challenge” was won by the Honda R&D Co. Ltd. entry, “Honda Dream” with an average speed of 89.76 km/hr. The three Canadian cars were in the first Canadian Solar Discovery Challenge.⁵