The vegetation damage assessment of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008 using remote sensing and GIS

The methodology for assessing the vegetation damaged by the Wenchuan earthquake by using the technologies of remote sensing and GIS was discussed in Dujiangyan city of Sichuan Province, China. The model of extracting vegetation from CBERS images was formulated using the differentiation knowledge of vegetation and non-vegetation discovered by image analysis and geographic analysis. The damage degree index (DDI) of the vegetation was defined here, which was the difference of the normalized difference vegetation index before the earthquake and that after earthquake. The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS)-02’s images acquired, respectively, on 6 May and 27 June 2008, the model of extracting vegetation, and DDI were used to obtain the information about the area and degree of the damage vegetation in the study. There was 87.94 square kilometers vegetation damaged by Wenchuan earthquake, which accounted for 7.9% of the total area in Dujiangyan city. The area percentage of the damage vegetation in each grade related strongly and positively to the elevation grade and slope grade and weakly related to the aspect type. The distribution characteristics of the damage vegetation were useful for making plan of restoring vegetation here.     

Possible roles of the Zipingpu Reservoir in triggering the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

To better understand the role the Zipingpu Reservoir may have played in triggering the 2008 M_s8 (M_w7.9) Wenchuan earthquake in China, this study evaluates changes of Coulomb failure stress (ΔCFS) and assesses their role in local seismicity and their potential impact on the Wenchuan earthquake. In addition, key aspects associated with reservoir-triggered earthquake (RTS), including mechanisms of stress triggering and permeability of fault zones, is briefly reviewed. ΔCFS was calculated at the faults involved in the Wenchuan earthquake due to the combined effects of gravitational loading and pore-pressure diffusion from the impoundment history of the reservoir. ΔCFS on the major source fault is larger than 0.1 MPa in the upper 10 km below the reservoir and reached a few tens of kPa at the focal depth. Such levels of ΔCFS are large enough to modulate the secular stress buildup of a few kPa/yr in the Longmen-shan thrust zone. Based on detailed analysis of numerical results and local seismicity, the author suggests that it is not proper to rule out the possibility of the Wenchuan earthquake being a RTS only based on very limited knowledge from a few cases of historical RTS so far.     

2008年汶川地震破裂的滑移向量

估计同震滑移向量对于认识和理解破裂方式和破裂过程具有重要意义。2008年汶川大地震在青藏高原东缘龙门山推覆构造带的中央断裂和前山断裂上各形成了一条长250 km和72 km的地表破裂带。地震发生后至今,已经发表了大量有关同震位错沿破裂带分布的论文和报告,但绝大部分都仅仅是破裂的走向位错和垂直位错,极少有同震滑移向量的报道。这不仅是因为野外难以直接测量到水平缩短量(或拉张量),而且还因为这些走滑位错实际上是视走滑位错,部分或全部来自水平缩短或拉张。因此,仅仅根据视走滑同震位错和垂直同震位错估计的同震总滑移量肯定包含了相当大的误差。尝试利用据不同走向参考线测量到的一组(两个以上)视走滑位错来计算水平滑移向量的这一新方法,获得了中央破裂带上的7个水平同震滑移向量,并结合垂直位错量进一步计算了走滑、倾滑和水平缩短三个同震滑移分量以及断层倾角和破裂面上的同震滑移向量,综合出露破裂面的擦痕所指示的滑移向量,并对比根据矩张量解获得的震源深度的滑移向量,得出以下认识:(1)破裂南段的地表滑移向量的方位角明显小于震源深度滑移向量的方位角,表明在破裂从震源向地表传播过程中破裂面上的滑移向量发生了逆时针旋转;(2)滑移方位角向北东方向逐渐增大,表明地平面上水平滑移向量表现出顺时针旋转的趋势,而且在破裂向北东方向传播过程中近地表的走滑分量逐渐减小而倾滑分量逐渐增大;(3)几乎在每一个观测点倾滑分量都大于走滑分量,表明汶川地震的破裂方式在任何地点都是以逆冲运动为主;(4)破裂面倾角在10.4°～64.7°,平均值为41°,与天然破裂露头和探槽揭示的结果基本一致;(5)滑移向量沿破裂带的分布显示,走滑分量中段大而两端小,倾滑分量则相反,中段小两端大。     

Analysis of an anti-dip landslide triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China

The Guantan landslide, with a total displaced mass of about 468 × 10⁴ m³, was triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and succeeding rainfall in Jushui Town, Sichuan Province, China. The landslide occurred on an anti-dip hard rock slope with a weak rock founding stratum of 200 m in thickness. To investigate the failure mechanism of the Guantan landslide, dynamic behaviors of hard and soft rock slopes were investigated by means of large scale shaking table tests. The laboratory models attempted to simulate the field geological conditions of the Guantan landslide. Sinusoidal waves and actual seismic waves measured from the Wenchuan Earthquake were applied on the slope models under 37 loading configurations. The experimental results indicated that deformation mainly developed at a shallow depth in the upper part of the hard rock slope and in the upper (near the crest) and lower (near the toe) parts of the soft rock slope. An equation for predicting the depth of sliding plane was proposed based on the location of the maximum horizontal acceleration. Finally, it was concluded that the failure process of the Guantan landslide occurred in three stages: (1) toppling failure caused by compression of the underlying soft rock strata, (2) formation of crushed hard rock and sliding surface in soft rock as the result of seismic shocks, particularly in the horizontal direction, and (3) aftershock rainfall accelerates the process of mass movement along the sliding plane.     

Landslide hazards triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Sichuan, China

The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (M _s = 8.0; epicenter located at 31.0° N, 103.4° E), with a focal depth of 19.0 km was triggered by the reactivation of the Longmenshan fault in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China on 12 May 2008. This earthquake directly caused more than 15,000 geohazards in the form of landslides, rockfalls, and debris flows which resulted in about 20,000 deaths. It also caused more than 10,000 potential geohazard sites, especially for rockfalls, reflecting the susceptibility of high and steep slopes in mountainous areas affected by the earthquake. Landslide occurrence on mountain ridges and peaks indicated that seismic shaking was amplified by mountainous topography. Thirty-three of the high-risk landslide lakes with landslide dam heights greater than 10 m were classified into four levels: extremely high risk, high risk, medium risk, and low risk. The levels were created by comprehensively analyzing the capacity of landslide lakes, the height of landslide dams, and the composition and structure of materials that blocked rivers. In the epicenter area which was 300 km long and 10 km wide along the main seismic fault, there were lots of landslides triggered by the earthquake, and these landslides have a common characteristic of a discontinuous but flat sliding surface. The failure surfaces can be classified into the following three types based on their overall shape: concave, convex, and terraced. Field evidences illustrated that the vertical component of ground shaking had a significant effect on both building collapse and landslide generation. The ground motion records show that the vertical acceleration is greater than the horizontal, and the acceleration must be larger than 1.0 g in some parts along the main seismic fault. Two landslides are discussed as high speed and long runout cases. One is the Chengxi landslide in Beichuan County, and the other is the Donghekou landslide in Qingchuan County. In each case, the runout process and its impact on people and property were analyzed. The Chengxi landslide killed 1,600 people and destroyed numerous houses. The Donghekou landslide is a complex landslide–debris flow with a long runout. The debris flow scoured the bank of the Qingjiang River for a length of 2,400 m and subsequently formed a landslide dam. This landslide buried seven villages and killed more than 400 people.     

Field-observed phenomena of seismic liquefaction and subsidence during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China

In the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province, a large number of buildings, water conservancy facilities, and transportation facilities were severely damaged. The damage caused by liquefaction and earthquake-induced soil subsidence was widely distributed, diverse, and extensive. Typical liquefaction and earthquake-induced subsidence damage for this region has been described by investigations of soils and foundations in the earthquake-stricken area. Factors that influenced the liquefaction of soils in Dujiangyan County were analyzed, accounting for regional geological conditions. The results identify several factors that may affect the process of liquefaction and general damage to buildings, roads, levees, and dams. Such factors could serve as the basis for further research into mitigating the damage caused by earthquake-induced liquefaction and subsidence. The importance of detailed ground reconnaissance and the implementation of reasonable and effective measures to improve soft soil are proposed for earthquake hazard reduction in similar areas.     

The role of gender and age in fracture distribution following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

This study explored demographic variations among victims injured in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The study analyzed records of 2,148 patients who were hospitalized with earthquake-related injuries in 14 hospitals between May 12 and May 21 of 2008. We tested the effects of gender and age on the incidence of fractures and amputations. Although more women than men were hospitalized as earthquake victims, the results indicated that a higher incidence of pelvic fracture in women was the only statistically significant injury with regard to gender. Age had a more complex effect on the rate and pattern of fractures. Children younger than 15 years old were the most likely to sustain skull fractures and amputations. The elderly were the most likely to be associated with limb fractures. Adult men were the most likely to suffer spine fractures and adult women rib fractures. The paper concludes with an interpretation of the results in the context of China’s rural conditions and discusses implications for post-disaster emergency operations and planning.     

Numerical simulation of dynamic mechanisms of the 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake: implications for earthquake prediction

The sudden and unexpected Wenchuan earthquake (Ms = 8.0) occurred on the Longmen Shan Fault, causing a large number of casualties and huge property loss. Almost no definite precursors were reported prior to this event by Chinese scientists, who made a first successful prediction of the 1975 Haicheng earthquake (M = 7.3) in China. Does the unsuccessful prediction of the Wenchuan earthquake mean earthquake prediction is inherently impossible? In order to answer this question, the paper simulated inter- and co-seismic deformation, and recurrence of strong earthquakes associated with the Longmen Shan listric thrust fault by means of viscoelastic finite element method. The modeling results show that the computed interseismic strain accumulation in the lower crust beneath the Eastern Tibet is much faster than that in the other regions. In particular, the elastic strain energy density rate accumulates very rapid in and around the Longmen Shan fault in the depth above ~25 km that may explain why the great Wenchuan earthquake occurs in the region of such a slow surface deformation rate. The modeled coseismic displacements around the fault are consistent with surface rupture, aftershock distribution, and GPS measurement. Also, the model displays the slip history on the Longmen Shan fault, implying that the average earthquake recurrence interval on the Longmen Shan fault is very long, 3,300 years, which is in good agreement with the observed by paleoseismological investigations and estimates by other methods. Moreover, the model results indicate that the future earthquake could be evaluated based on numerical computation, rather than on precursors or on statistics. Numerical earthquake prediction (NEP) seems to be a promising avenue to a successful prediction, which will play an important part in natural hazard mitigation. NEP is difficult but possible, which needs well supporting.     

Study on indirect economic impacts and their causes of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

In terms of events that undermine economic growth, the impact of natural disasters is huge and inevitable. Taking the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake as the research object, and based on the country-year data for 181 counties in Sichuan Province from 1999 to 2018, this paper uses the dynamic difference-in-difference method to investigate the indirect impact of this event on the economy. The main findings are as follows: Even though the central government has introduced reconstruction policies and invested a lot of reconstruction funds, in 2018, the per capita income in the extremely and relatively severe disaster areas was still significantly lower than the counterfactual by 21.96% and 7.61%, respectively. There is heterogeneity in the long-term indirect impacts in areas with different disaster levels, and the economies of the extremely severe disaster areas may form a "poverty trap," while the economies of the relatively severe disaster areas are still in a slow recovery state. It was further found that the assistance of central government’s reconstruction funds and the increase in local government expenditure are the reasons for the rapid economic recovery in the short term, and the insufficient level of total demand caused by the investment and consumption is the main reasons for the negative indirect impact on the economy in the disaster areas.

     

Evidence for anthropogenic surface loading as trigger mechanism of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Two and a half years prior to China’s M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008, at least 300 million metric tons of water accumulated with additional seasonal water level changes in the Minjiang River Valley at the eastern margin of the Longmen Shan. This article shows that static surface loading in the Zipingpu water reservoir induced Coulomb failure stresses on the nearby Beichuan thrust fault system at <17 km depth. Triggering stresses exceeded levels of daily lunar and solar tides and perturbed a fault area measuring 416 ± 96 km². These stress perturbations, in turn, likely advanced the clock of the mainshock and directed the initial rupture propagation upward towards the reservoir on the "Coulomb-like" Beichuan fault with rate- and state-dependent frictional behavior. Static triggering perturbations produced up to 60 years (0.6%) of equivalent tectonic loading, and show strong correlations to the coseismic slip. Moreover, correlations between clock advancement and coseismic slip, observed during the mainshock beneath the reservoir, are strongest for a longer seismic cycle (10kyr) of M > 7 earthquakes. Finally, the daily event rate of the micro-seismicity (M ≥ 0.5) correlates well with the static stress perturbations, indicating destabilization.     

土坝震害评估模型研究

为了快速准确地对遭受地震影响的土坝工程的破坏状态进行评估,以土坝震害经验统计判断模型为基础,选取了更为合理的土坝震害影响因素,采用最小二乘法重新对土坝震害数据资料进行回归分析,得到了各震害影响因素在不同条件下的回归系数取值,从而建立了一个改进的土坝震害经验统计判断模型。与原模型相比,改进模型既剔除了不合理的震害影响因子,同时又使回归模型的预测准确度得到提高,其相关系数为0.908,标准差为0.459,均比原模型要好。采用两种模型对汶川地震中遭到破坏的47座土坝进行震害评估,并与实际震害进行了对比分析,初步验证了改进模型的可靠性     

Spatial distribution of landslides triggered by the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake,China

The Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008 is one of the most disastrous earthquakes in China. The earthquake triggered tens of thousands of landslides over a broad area, including shallow, disrupted landslides, rock falls, deep-seated landslides, and rock avalanches, some of which buried large sections of some towns and dammed the rivers. The purpose of this study is to investigate correlations between the occurrence of landslides with geologic and geomorphologic conditions, and seismic parameters. Over 56,000 earthquake-triggered landslides, with a total area of 811 km², are interpreted using aerial photographs and remote sensing images taken following the earthquake. The spatial distribution of these landslides is analyzed statistically using both landslide-point density (LPD), defined as the number of landslides per square kilometer, and landslide-area density (LAD), the percentage of the area affected by landslides, to determine how the occurrence of landslides correlates with distance from the epicenter, distance from the major surface rupture, seismic intensity and peak ground acceleration (PGA), slope angle, slope aspect, elevation, and lithology. It is found that both LAD and LPD have strong positive correlations with slope steepness, distance from the major surface rupture and seismic intensity, and that Pre-Sinian schist, and Cambrian sandstone and siltstone intercalated with slate have the most concentrated landslide activities, followed by the Permian limestone intercalated with shale, and Devonian limestone. Statistical analyses also indicate that the major surface rupture has influence on the spatial distribution of landslides, because LAD and LPD are relatively higher on the hanging wall than on the footwall. However, the correlation between the occurrence of landslides with distance from the epicenter of the earthquake is complicated, rather than a relatively simple negative correlation as found from other reported cases of earthquakes. This is possibly due to complicated rupture processes of the earthquake.     

Estimation of earthquake casualties using high-resolution remote sensing: a case study of Dujiangyan city in the May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Natural Hazards - From a disaster relief perspective, an immediate and efficient rescue operation after an earthquake can greatly increase the number of survivors. An effective rescue operation...     

Source characteristics of long runout rock avalanches triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake,China

The May 12, 2008 Wenchuan, China Earthquake which measured M_w = 8.3 according to Chinese Earthquake Administration – CEA (M_w = 7.9 according to the USGS) directly triggered many landslides, which caused about 20,000 deaths, a quarter of the total. Rock avalanches were among the most destructive landslides triggered by this seismic event, and have killed more people than any other type of landslide in this earthquake. The Donghekou rock avalanche, one example of a catastrophic avalanche triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake, occurred in Qingchuan and buried one primary school and 184 houses, resulting in more than 780 deaths, and in addition, caused the formation of two landslide dams, which formed barrier lakes.Combining aerial images (resolution of 0.5 m) with field investigations, this paper lists some parameters of 66 cases in one table, and details source characteristics of six typical cases. It has been found that most of the long runout rock avalanches have source areas with high relief and steep inclination, causing the debris in the travel courses to accelerate. There was also a large amount of saturated Holocene-age loose deposits formed by a river or gully that existed in the travel courses. Comparison studies indicate that saturated Holocene loose deposits in the travel courses could be the most important factor for the causes of the long runout characteristic of the rock avalanches especially when they traveled over gentle or even flat ground surfaces.Furthermore, the relationships among the relief slope gradient, runout and covered area are investigated, and a threshold line for predicting the maximum horizontal runout distance under certain change in elevation is presented.     

Financing rapid community reconstruction after catastrophic disaster: lessons from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China

Catastrophic disasters can change the course of urban development and challenge the long-run sustainability of cities and regions. How to rapidly reconstruct communities impaired by catastrophic disaster is a world-wide challenge. The reconstruction after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China was an unusual case of very rapid reconstruction after a catastrophic disaster. Over US$147 billion was invested to rebuild the damaged areas within 3 years. The reconstruction was not simply building back what was destroyed, but was used as an opportunity to advance national goals for urbanization, rural transformation, and poverty reduction. In this article, we review how the reconstruction was planned, budgeted, and financed in the sociopolitical context of 2008 China. Particularly, we discuss two innovative programs, namely pair assistance and land-based financing. Despite the unique circumstances of China, lessons can be learned to speed up post-disaster reconstruction and urban development in other countries. Conversely, this case illustrates that a narrow focus on physical reconstruction may overlook broader economic and social issues.

     

隐伏断层在强震砂土液化中的作用——以2008年汶川Mw 7.9地震为例

2008年汶川Mw7.9地震的强地面震动在龙门山前地区造成大量的砂土液化、喷砂冒水等地震灾害现象。震后野外调查发现,砂土液化点主要分布于地下水位只有几米深的山前河流的低阶地处,以大面积砾性土液化为特征,约58%的液化点位于距北川断层20~35km的范围内。对喷水高度及喷水过程进行了详细记录,喷水高度与峰值加速度并没有明显的相关性,喷水高度异常点(2m)集中于山前断裂系统近地表投影处。汶川地震中喷水高度异常、砾性土液化的位置与山前断裂系统的吻合性说明,沉积盆地内的地质构造可能在砂土液化强度和与震动相关的地震灾害方面起到促进作用,所以在类似的地质和水文环境中,除主震的断层错动外,应考虑地质构造在地震危险性评估和建筑物抗震设计中的重要作用。     

Extracting damages caused by the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake from SAR remote sensing data

Bad weather conditions usually limit the acquisition of optical remote sensing images, while all day and all weather synthetic aperture radar (SAR) shows the ability of providing timely remote sensing data for emergency response and rescue works after earthquake. Because SAR is sensitive to the surface changes caused by earthquake, the modified electromagnetic behaviour by geological disasters and the collapse of buildings can be recorded in SAR images as backscattering intensity changes. Absolute radiometric calibration was performed to SAR products to derive backscattering coefficient sigma nought from image digital number (DN). Based on change detection methods, Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) data and TerraSAR-X data acquired for the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake were used to extract earthquake damage information. This study revealed that landslides showed stronger backscattering and barrier lakes showed lower backscattering in post-earthquake 10 m ALOS PALSAR images comparing to pre-earthquake, and collapsed buildings showed lower backscattering compared to un-collapsed buildings in 1 m TerraSAR-X image. Results showed that SAR data with different spatial resolutions are useful for different earthquake damage information extraction: medium spatial resolution SAR data, e.g. 10 m ALOS PALSAR data, were efficient for secondary geological disaster extraction; high-resolution SAR data, e.g. 1 m TerraSAR-X data, with the help of ancillary GIS data or high-resolution optical data, could be used to extract building collapse information in urban areas. This study indicates that SAR remote sensing data can provide earthquake damage information at early emergency stage and assist the field surveying, further damage assessment and post-earthquake reconstruction.     

汶川地震公路隧道普通段震害分析及震害机制研究

在汶川地震中隧道普通段出现了严重的震害,为了提高高烈度地震区隧道普通段的抗震性能,通过统计分析汶川地震公路隧道普通段震害调查资料,对隧道普通段进行了震害分析。结果表明,隧道普通段震害主要发生在软岩均一段、软硬围岩交接段软岩部分以及围岩缺陷段。通过三维有限差分数值模拟和现场典型震害分析,研究了公路隧道普通段的震害机制,探明了围岩均一普通段隧道震害机制,即硬岩隧道普通段基本无震害,软岩隧道普通段震害较严重,衬砌结构受地震惯性力影响较大,强制位移次之;探明了围岩软硬交接普通段隧道震害机制,即震害主要发生在软硬围岩交接段软岩部分,震害的主要影响因素为强制位移,地震惯性力次之;探明了围岩缺陷普通段隧道震害机制,即震害主要由地震惯性力造成强制位移影响很小。研究成果可为高烈度地震区公路隧道普通段的抗震设防提供参考。     

Satellite monitoring of anomalous effects in the ionosphere related to the great Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008

In this paper, we present an investigation into plasma density disturbances and electric field perturbations associated with China, Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake of magnitude M = 7.9 that occurred on May 12, 2008, at 06:28:01 UTC. The DEMETER (Detection of Electromagnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions) satellite was launched on June 29, 2004. The orbit of DEMETER is polar, circular with an altitude of 710 km and its main scientific objective is the study of ionospheric perturbations linked to seismic activity. For satellite orbits near the epicenter region, some ionospheric effects are investigated, which can be considered as possible earthquake precursors. The paper discusses anomalous effects in the ionosphere associated with the Wenchuan earthquake, which cannot be explained by factors of solar-magnetospheric origin. For satellite orbits eight to four days before the main shock, fluctuations in ion density and increase in horizontal and vertical components of electric field are observed near the epicenter. Post-effect is observed too. The observations suggest a coupling between the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere and can be associated with the earthquake growing processes in the lithosphere and troposphere zones above the source. The results of ionospheric anomalous effects are presented and discussed. The results obtained are important because they are observed very near to epicenter.