A preliminary report on the Great Wenchuan Earthquake
Wang Zifa
Institute of Engineering
Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration, Harbin 150080, China
Abstract:
The May 12, 2008 Great Wenchuan Earthquake has
resulted in more than 68,858 deaths and losses in the hundreds of billions RMB
as of May 30, 2008, and these numbers will undoubtedly increase as more
information becomes available on the extent of the event. Immediately after the
earthquake, the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) responded quickly by
sending teams of experts to the affected region, eventually including over 60
staff members from the Institute of Engineering Mechanics (IEM). This paper
reports preliminary information that has been gathered in the first 18 days
after the event, covering seismicity, search and rescue efforts, observed ground
motions, and damage and loss estimates. The extensive field investigation has
revealed a number of valuable findings that could be useful in improving
research in earthquake engineering in the future. Once again, this earthquake
has shown that the vertical component of ground motion is as significant as
horizontal ground motions in the near-source area. Finally, note that as more
information is gathered, the numbers reported in this paper will need to be
adjusted accordingly.
Keywords: Wenchuan Earthquake; field
investigation; ground motions; vertical acceleration
