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China suffers severe continental earthquakes. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Ms 8.0) and the 2014 Ludian earthquake (Ms 6.5) are two representative examples from the modern era. The Wenchuan earthquake caused considerable economic losses, and the Ludian earthquake caused unexpected losses with only moderate magnitude. Based on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), this paper first calculates aggregated disaster losses and the contributions of three factors: number of deaths or missing persons, number of people affected, and direct economic losses. Then, the losses per unit energy released or area affected are calculated for each earthquake to investigate which of the two earthquakes caused more damage. The paper finishes by investigating the implications and revealing three results. (1) The Wenchuan earthquake induced more damage than the Ludian earthquake, but the latter had relatively higher losses per unit energy than the former. (2) Injuries and affected people contributed most to the total losses for each earthquake, more than fatalities or direct damage. This outcome means that unnoticed aspects have the most severe disaster impacts. In addition, long-term impacts of earthquakes are more serious than usually acknowledged, and more attention needs to be paid to these. (3) The damage from moderate earthquakes can exceed expectations, meaning that disaster mitigation policies in all regions are necessary, regardless of the degree of anticipated hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area is frequently hit by heavy rainfall, which often triggers sediment-related disasters, such as shallow landslides, debris flows, and related natural events, sometimes causing tremendous damage to lives, property, infrastructure, and environment. The assessment of the rainfall thresholds for debris flow occurrence is very important in order to improve forecasting and for risk management. In the context of the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area, however, the rainfall thresholds for triggering debris flows are not well understood. With the aim of defining the critical rainfall thresholds for this area, a detailed analysis of the main rainstorm events was carried out. This paper presents 11 rainfall events that induced debris flows which occurred between 2008 and 2012 after the Wenchuan earthquake. The rainfall thresholds were defined in terms of mean rainfall intensity I, rainfall duration D, and normalized using the mean annual precipitation (MAP). An ID threshold and a normalized I D threshold graph could be set up for the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area which forms the lower boundary of the domain with debris flow-triggering rainfall events. The rainfall threshold curves obtained for the study area were compared with the local, regional, and global curves proposed by various authors. The results suggest that debris flow initiation in the study area almost requires a higher amount of rainfall and greater intensity than elsewhere. The comparison of rainfall intensity prior to and after the earthquake clearly indicates that the critical rainfall intensity necessary to trigger debris flows decreased after the earthquake. Rainfall thresholds presented in this paper are generalized, so that they can be used in debris flow warning systems in areas with the same geology as the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preliminary study of the PGA attenuation, hanging wall effect and velocity pulse characteristics from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake of M8 =8.0 is described in this paper. The study was carried out through analyses in the time and frequency domains of main earthquake records. In the PGA attenuation study, records from 316 stations less than 1000 km from the surface rupture of the fault were used as a database and attenuation relationships were developed and compared with some existing relationships that are widely used in mainland China, Chinese Taiwan and the US. At the same time, records from 28 stations less than 100 km from the fault were used to study the hanging wall effect and velocity pulse characteristics of this earthquake based on the distribution of PGA, PGV, spectral acceleration, and the velocity pulse peak, and the results are compared with the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. In addition, the large PGAs of the UD components observed in this event are also discussed in this paper. From the results of the preliminary study, some conclusions are developed and suggestions for further research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great Wenchuan earthquake (Ms = 8.0) in 2008 caused severe damage in the western part of the Chengdu Plain. Soil liquefaction was one of the major causes of damage in the plain areas, and proper evaluation of liquefaction potential is Important in the definition of the seismic hazard facing a given region and post-earthquake reconstruction. In this paper, a simplified procedure is proposed for liquefaction assessment of sandy deposits using shear wave velocity (Vs), and soil liquefaction from the Banqiao School site was preliminarily investigated after the earthquake. Boreholes were made at the site and shear wave velocities were measured both by SASW and down-hole methods. Based on the in-situ soil information and Vs profiles, the liquefaction potential of this site was evaluated. The results are reasonably consistent with the actual field behavior observed after the earthquake, indicating that the proposed procedure is effective. The possible effects of gravel and fines contents on liquefaction of sandy soils were also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 12, 2008 at 14:28, a catastrophic magnitude Ms8.0 earthquake struck the Sichuan Province of China. The epicenter was located at Wenchuan (31.00°N, 103.40°E). Liquefaction macrophenomena and corresponding destruction was observed throughout a vast area of 500 km long and 200 km wide following the earthquake. This paper illustrates the geographic distribution of the liquefaction and the relationship between liquefaction behavior and seismic intensity, and summarizes the liquefaction macrophenomena, including sandboils and waterspouts, ground subsidence, ground fissures etc., and relevant liquefaction features. A brief summary of the structural damage caused by liquefaction is presented and discussed. Based on comparisons with liquefaction phenomena observed in the 1976 Tangshan and 1975 Haicheng earthquakes, preliminary analyses were performed, which revealed some new features of liquefaction behavior and associated issues arising from this event. The site investigation indicated that the spatial non-uniformity of liquefaction distribution was obvious and most of the liquefied sites were located in regions of seismic intensity VIII. However, liquefaction phenomena at ten different sites in regions of seismic intensity VI were also observed for the first time in China mainland. Sandboils and waterspouts ranged from centimeters to tens of meters, with most between I m to 3 m. Dramatically high water/sand ejections, e.g., more than 10 m, were observed at four different sites. The sand ejections included silty sand, fine sand, medium sand, course sand and gravel, but the ejected sand amount was less than that in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Possible liquefaction of natural gravel soils was observed for the first time in China mainland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great Wenchuan Earthquake occurred on May 12, 2008 in the Sichuan Province of China, and had a magnitude of 8.0. It is the most serious earthquake disaster in China since the great Tangshan Earthquake (Ms=7.8, July 28, 1976). According to official reports, there were 69,225 deaths, 379,640 injuries and 17,939 missing as of Aug. 11, 2008. The China Earthquake Administration quickly sent hundreds of experts to the field immediately after the event, to investigate the damage and assess the economic losses. This paper emphasizes the impact of seismic intensity and presents a preliminary loss assessment. A brief description of the geological features of the affected region is provided, followed by a summary of the earthquake damage. An isoseismal map is developed that shows that the high intensity region is distributed like a belt around the seimogenic fault, and that the epicentral intensity reached XI (Chinese Intensity Scale, similar to the Modified Mercalli Scale). The direct economic loss resulting from the earthquake is 692 billions RMB (about 100 billions US$). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]