GFZ German research centre for geo sciences

Wenchuan Earthquake

INSAR-Derived Co-Seismic Deformation of Wenchuan 5.12 Earthquake

Wenchuan earthquake (Mw 8.0, 31.02°N/103.36°E) occurred on 12 May 2008 in the transition zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin, China, resulting in extensive damage and over 80,000 victims in western China. To understand the seismic faulting mechanism and surface deformation features caused by the earthquake, such as rupture length and slip or uplift/sink distribution, using our INSAR software and ENVISAT ASAR data, acquired on 12/24/2007, 03/03/2008 and 06/16/2008, respectively, we have got two differential interferograms showing the surface deformation before and after the event.

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