China's Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level IV geological disaster defense response for Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai at 10:00 on Aug 25, after weather forecasts predicted moderate to heavy rain, with localized downpours, in parts of the three regions over the next three days.The ministry's geological disaster technical guidance center assessed that parts of western Shanxi, southern Inner Mongolia and eastern Qinghai face a relatively high risk of geological disasters, according to the ministry's geological disaster defense response work plan.