Sichuan Earthquake

Sichuan earthquake of 2008, was a massive and enormously devastating earthquake that occurred in the mountainous central region of Sichuan province in southwestern China on May 12, 2008.

Measuring at 8.0 M, the earthquake's epicenter was located 80 kilometres west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km.

Over 69,000 people lost their lives in the quake.

The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless of the approximately 15 million people who lived in the affected area. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since 1976.

On November 6, 2008, the central government announced that it would spend 1 trillion RMB (about US$146.5 billion) over the next three years to rebuild areas ravaged by the earthquake, as part of the Chinese economic stimulus program.

• The fault, which broke over a length of 240km, was a slip-strike type fault.

• The Earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok.

• 52 big aftershocks, ranging in size from 4.4 to 6.0, were recorded within 72 hours of the main tremor.

• The earthquake lasted about two minutes and was powerful because it did not happen very deep under the ground.

• Many people were killed because there were so many people living above the epicenter.

• The shock waves traveled a long way without losing their power because of the hardness of the ground in central China.

• 86 pandas survived the earthquake at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan, and sustained no physical injuries.