Map prepared by U.S. Geological SurveyNational Earthquake Information Center28 May 2008Map not approved for release by Director USGS

EARTHQUAKE SUMMARY MAP XXXU.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORU.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

DISCLAIMERBase map data, such as place names and politicalboundaries, are the best available but may not be current or may contain inaccuracies and thereforeshould not be regarded as having official significance.

K u n l u n F a u l t

E U R A S I A P L A T E

Y A N G T Z EP L A T E

INDIAPLATE

Sichuan (Red) Basin

T i b e t a n P l a t e a u

Ya n g t z e R i v e r

1976

Guangxi

Gansu

Shanxi

ShaanxiQinghai Henan

XizangSichuan

Hubei

HunanArunachalPradesh Guizhou

YunnanKachinState

AssamSagaing

2008

1917

1923

1933

1947

1948

1950

1955

1967

1973

Fengxiang WEINANLiquan

DAWUQishan

Min Xian BaojiTINTONG

Feng-chia-

tsui

Chiu-wu-kungCaijiabo

XingpingXi'an

HuaiyaLi Xian Zhouzhi

Tienhu

Hu XianTewo

SHANGXIAN

Hui-Xian

Lueyang YangXian

Hanzhong

Neixiang

ShiquanZhenping

GYEGUXixiang

ALOA

YUN XIAN

ANKANG

DEN XIANJUN XIAN

GuangyaunGucheng

Taipingdian

JIANGYOULANGZHONG

MIANYANGHanwang DA XIAN KAI XIAN

DEYANGQAMDO PENGXIAN GUANGHAN SHEHONG

WAN XIANNANCHONG

YICHANG

CHENGDUShuangliu SUINING

QIONGLAIXINJIN

ZHONGXIAN

PENGSHAN ANYUEMEISHANSHIH-

YANGHECHUAN

YAAN TONGLIANGBEIBEIDAZU

NEIJIANG CHONGQINGLi-chia-toWUTONGQIAO RONCHANG

GUANGSHUNCHANGZIGONGLONGCHANGGongjing

FU-SHUN BAISHATAOYUAN

Lo-hanLUZHOUNanxi

SHUANG-TSAO-FANG

HEJIANGNAXIYIBINJIANGANPINGSHAN

YUANLINGCHI-SHOU

Lung-shan-chen

ZhaojueXICHANG

ZHONGDIANChing-shui-tang ZUNYI Zhijiang

ZHAOTONG

QIANYANG

BIJIE

Weixi DAFANG

HONGJIANG

SHUANGLIU

DAYAN Ta-chaiHUILI Huidong

KAILI

Tongzi

GUIYANG

JINGXIAN

Qingzhen

LongxiHezuo LongXianQinan DaliFuping

Gangu Wu-chiaYanliangSanyuan

Chao-chia-

chuangTIANSHUI

Tianshui

QianXian

Jingyang

GUIDING

112°

110°

110°

108°

108°

106°

106°

104°

104°

102°

102°

100°

100°

98°

98°

96°

96°

34°

34°

32°

32°

30°

30°

28°

28°

N AN S

E I -

SH

OT O

(R

Y UK

Y U)

T RE N

C H

EURASIA PLATE

EURASIA PLATE

YANGTZEPLATE

OKINAWAPLATE

INDIA PLATE

PHILIPPINE SEA PLATE

E A S TC H I N A

S E A

Y E L L O WS E A

SEA OF JAPAN

S O U T HC H I N A

S E A

A N D A M A NS E A

B A Y O FB E N G A L

HI

MA

L

AY

A

T i a n S h a n

Al t a

y M

o

un

t ai n

s

Ku

nj u n M o u n t a i n s

L. B a l ka sh

Chang Jaing

Huang

He

B A N G L A -D E S H

M Y A N M A R( B U R M A )

T H A I L A N D

C H I N A

I N D I A

N E P A L

T A J I K I S T A N

K Y R G Y Z S T A N

M O N G O L I A

N O R T HK O R E A

S O U T HK O R E A

C A M B O D I AV I E T N A M

L A O S

P H I L I P P I N E S

B H U T A N

T A I W A N

J a p a nB a s i n

1941

TIBETAN PLATEAU

INDIAPLATESUNDA PLATE

Burma Plate

AMUR PLATE

(Yangt

ze)

K u n l u n F a u l t

A l t y n Ta g h F a u l t

1861

2004

1881

Qui NhonSamutSakhon

Nagasaki

Moulmein

Aizawl

Haeju

Ch'ongjin

KanggyeSinuiju Hamhung

Kashi

Yinchuan

Barisal

KaesongCh'unch'on

Ch'ungju

Cheju

Lhasa

Kathmandu

Biratnagar

Naha

KohimaShillongMyitkyinaImphalRajshahi

AgartalaMacau

Yen BaiThaiNguyen

Viet Tri Hon GaiHai

DuongHaiphongHoa BinhTaunggyi

BhubaneshwarMagwaySittwe

ThanhHoaChiang

Mai VinhVientianeUdon

ThaniPeguPhitsanulokBassein SavannakhetHueKhon

Kaen Da NangNakhonSawan Ubon

Ratchathani QuangNgai

NakhonRatchasimaSaraburi

Phra Nakhon Si AyutthayaTavoy Play Cu

Tianjin

Shanghai

Beijing

AlmatyBishkek FushunShenyangAnshan

HuhotTangshan Dalian

P'yongyang

TaiyuanInch`on

Jinan

Taegu

Xining

TaejonQingdao

Lanzhou ZhengzhouLuoyangXi'an

Fukuoka

NanjingHefei

ChengduWuhan Hangzhou

Chongqing NanchangChangshaLucknow

GuiyangKanpur Fuzhou

PatnaVaranasiKunming

TaipeiT'aichung

GuangzhouKhulna

NanningKaoshsiung

T'ainan

Calcutta KowloonChittagong VictoriaMandalay

Vishakhapatnam

Rangoon

QuezonCityManila

PusanKwangjuShijiazhuang

Baotou

FangchengGang

Urumqi130°

120°

120°

110°

110°

100°

100°

90°

90°80°

40°

40°

30°

30°

20°

20°

M7.9 Eastern Sichuan, China Earthquake of 12 May 2008

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Tianjin

Shanghai

Seoul

Viet Tri

Aizawl

Wonsan

Yinchuan

HaejuKaesong

Ch'unch'on

Ch'ungju

Cheju

Lhasa

KohimaShillongMyitkyina

Imphal

AgartalaMacau

Yen BaiThai NguyenHon GaiHai

DuongHaiphongHoa BinhTaunggyi

MagwaySittweThanhHoa

Barisal

TaipeiT'aichung

Dhaka GuangzhouT'ainan

Khulna

Shijiazhuang

KaoshsiungKowloon

Chittagong VictoriaMandalay

Hanoi

KwangjuTaegu

Baotou

FangchengGang

HuhotTangshan DalianP'yongyang

Taiyuan

Inch`on

JinanXining

TaejonQingdao

Lanzhou ZhengzhouLuoyangXi'an

NanjingHefei

Nanning

ChengduWuhan

Hangzhou

Chongqing NanchangChangsha

GuiyangFuzhou

Kunming

130°

120°

120°

110°

110°

100°

100°

90°

90°

40°

30°

30°

20°

20°DATA SOURCESEARTHQUAKES AND SEISMIC HAZARD USGS, National Earthquake Information Center NOAA, National Geophysical Data Center IASPEI, Centennial Catalog (1900 - 1999) and extensions (Engdahl and Villaseñor, 2002) HDF (unpublished earthquake catalog) (Engdahl, 2003) Global Seismic Hazard Assessment ProgramPLATE TECTONICS AND FAULT MODEL PB2002 (Bird, 2003) Finite Fault Model, Chen Ji, UC Santa Barbara (2007)BASE MAP NIMA and ESRI, Digital Chart of the World USGS, EROS Data Center NOAA GEBCO and GLOBE Elevation Models

0 400 800 1,200 1,600200Kilometers

Scale

Prepared in cooperation

with the Global Seismographic

Network

Tectonic Setting

Seismic Hazard

Epicentral Region

TECTONIC SUMMARYThe Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 2008, occurred as the result ofmotion on a northeast striking reverse fault or thrust fault on thenorthwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake’s epicenterand focal-mechanism are consistent with it having occurred as the resultof movement on the Longmenshan fault or a tectonically related fault.The earthquake reflects tectonic stresses resulting from the convergenceof crustal material slowly moving from the high Tibetan Plateau, to thewest, against strong crust underlying the Sichuan Basin and southeasternChina.On a continental scale, the seismicity of central and eastern Asia is aresult of northward convergence of the India plate against the Eurasiaplate with a velocity of about 50 mm/y. The convergence of the twoplates is broadly accommodated by the uplift of the Asian highlands andby the motion of crustal material to the east away from the upliftedTibetan Plateau.The northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has previouslyexperienced destructive earthquakes. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake ofAugust 25, 1933, killed more than 6,800 people. Another 2,500 laterperished as the result of failure of a natural dam created by a landslidecaused by the earthquake.

Seismic hazard is expressed as peakground acceleration (PGA) on firmrock, in meters/sec², expected to beexceeded in a 50-yr period with aprobability of 10 percent.

EXPLANATIONMainshock

Mag ≥ 7.00 - 69 km70 - 299300 - 600

Plate BoundariesSubductionTransformDivergent

ConvergentVolcanoes

RELATIVE PLATE MOTIONSRed vectors indicate relative plate motion.The India Plate is moving northward relativeto the Eurasia Plate at about 50 mm/yr.

0 400 800 1,200 1,600200Kilometers

Scale

REFERENCESBird, P., 2003, An updated digital model of plate boundaries: Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., v. 4, no. 3, pp. 1027- 80.Engdahl, E.R. and Villaseñor, A., 2002, Global Seismicity: 1900 - 1999, chap. 41 of Lee, W.H.K., and others,eds., International Earthquake and Engineering Seismology, Part A: New York, N.Y., Elsevier Academeic Press, 932 p.Engdahl, E.R., Van der Hilst, R.D., and Buland, R.P., 1998, Global teleseismic earthquake relocation with improved trav- el times and procedures for depth determination: Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., v. 88, p. 722-743.

1:4,000,000Scale

Finite Fault Modelfor M7.9 Earthquake

Significant Earthquakes Mag >= 7.0

Year Mon Day Time Lat Long Dep Mag1917 07 30 2354 29.000 104.000 0 7.31923 03 24 1240 30.553 101.258 25 7.21933 08 25 0750 31.810 103.541 25 7.31947 03 17 0819 33.000 99.500 0 7.51948 05 25 0711 29.500 100.500 0 7.21950 08 15 1409 28.500 96.500 0 8.61955 04 14 0129 29.981 101.613 10 7.51967 08 30 0422 31.631 100.232 8.1 7.01973 02 06 1037 31.361 100.504 6.6 7.42008 05 12 0628 30.986 103.364 19 7.9

Peak Ground Acceleration in m/sec**2

.2 .4 .8 1.6 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.8

EPICENTRAL REGION

EXPLANATIONMainshock

Aftershocks4 - 4.95 - 5.96 - 6.9

Earthquake Magnitude4.00 - 5.996.00 - 6.997.00 - 7.998.00 - 8.99

9.00 - 9.99

Earthquake Depth0 - 6970 - 299300 - 700

Projection Albers Equal Area

1:20,000,000

1:15,000,000

EPICENTRAL REGION

Did You Feel It?

0

Distance

along

strike

229° (N

49 E) (k

m)

Distance

along

strike 2

29° (N

131W) (k

m)

- 50

265

- 40

0

Distance downdip (km)

Dip 33° Northwest

0

Slip (cm)0 - 100100 - 200200 - 300300 - 400400 - 500500 - 600600 - 700700 - 800800 - 900900 - 1000

FINITE FAULT MODELContributed byChen Ji, University of California at SantaBarbara and Gavin Hayes, NEICDistribution of the amplitude anddirection of slip for subfault elements(small rectangles) of the fault rupturemodel are determined from the inversionof teleseismic body waveforms. Arrowsindicate the amplitude and direction ofslip (of the hanging wall with respect tothe foot wall); the slip amount is alsocolor-coded as shown. The view of therupture plane is from above.The strike of the fault rupture plane is229° (N131W) and the dip is 33 NW. Thedimensions of the subfault elements are15 km in the strike direction and 5 km inthe dip direction. The seismic momentrelease based on this plane is .115E+29dyne.cm.

0 200 400100Kilometers

Eastern Sichuan, China 12 May 2008 6:28:00 UTC 30.986° N., 103.364° E.Depth 19 kmMw = 7.9 (USGS) At least 69,185 people killed, 374,171 injured and 18,467 missing and presumed dead in the Chengdu-Lixian-Guangyuan area. More than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces and regions were affected. At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and more than 5 million were left homeless. An estimated 5.36 million buildings collapsed and more than 21 million buildings were damaged in Sichuan and in parts of Chongqing, Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi and Yunnan. The total economic loss was estimated at 86 billion US dollars. Beichuan, Dujiangyan, Wuolong and Yingxiu were almost completely destroyed. Landslides and rockfalls damaged or destroyed several mountain roads and railways and buried buildings in the Beichuan-Wenchuan area, cutting off access to the region for several days. At least 700 people were buried by a landslide at Qingchuan. Landslides also dammed several rivers, creating 34 barrier lakes which threatened about 700,000 people downstream. A train was buried by a landslide near Longnan, Gansu. At least 2,473 dams sustained some damage and more than 53,000 km roads and 47,000 km of tap water pipelines were damaged. About 1.5 km of surface faulting was observed near Qingchuan, surface cracks and fractures occurred on three mountains in the area, and subsidence and street cracks were observed in the city itself. Maximum intensity XI was assigned in the Wenchuan area. Felt in much of central, eastern and southern China, in parts of Bangladesh, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Seiches were observed at Kotalipara, Bangladesh.