M 7.9 - EASTERN SICHUAN, CHINA

Summary

Population Exposure

 Population per ˜1 square km from Landscan 2005

Selected City Exposure

MMI	City	Population
VII	Tianpeng	60k
VII	Jiangyou	127k
VII	Mianyang	264k
VI	Chengdu	3950k
VI	Guangyuan	213k
VI	Linqiong	55k
VI	Deyang	152k
V	Nanchong	7150k
V	Zigong	689k
V	Neijiang	546k
V	Chongqing	3967k

Shaking Intensity

    MMI

Overall, structures in this region are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the Sichuan, China region on August 23, 1976 (UTC), with estimated population exposures of 1,500 at intensity IX or greater and 5,700 at intensity VIII, resulting in 41 deaths. Additionally, a magnitude 7.3 struck this region in 1933 killing 6,800 people. Recent earthquakes in this area have also triggered landslide hazards that have contributed to losses. Users should consider the preliminary nature of this information and check for updates as additional data becomes available.

PAGER results are generally available on the Internet within 30 minutes of the earthquake's occurrence. However, information on the extent of shaking will be uncertain in the minutes and hours following an earthquake and typically improves as additional sensor data and reported intensities are acquired and incorporated into models of the earthquake's source. Users of PAGER exposure estimates should account for uncertainty and always seek the most current PAGER release for any earthquake.

Maps

Map of MMI contours plotted over population per ˜1 square km (see gray scale bar on top of map). The regions of integer MMI values are separated by the thick contour lines and labeled with Roman numerals. The total population exposure to a given MMI value is obtained by summing the population between the thick contour lines. This total is shown in population exposure table.

Map of shaking intensity. This map shows the estimated MMI as a continuous color scale. The ground shaking estimates can be obtained from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/shakemap/global/shake/2008ryan.

Exposure

Table showing population exposed to different estimated Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) levels and the possible damage at different intensity levels for resistant and vulnerable structures. MMI describes the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effect on humans and structures and is a rough measure of the amount of shaking at a given location. Unlike earthquake magnitude, intensity varies with distance from the fault, and is influenced by the depth of the earthquake and the types of soils in the shaken region. Population outside the map bounds are not included in the totals.

Downloads

• 
  onePAGER PDF
  422 kB
• 
  Exposure XML
  13 kB
• 
  Shakemap
  39 kB
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  Population Map
  107 kB
• 
  Population PDF
  305 kB

Details