One of the very fundamental issues for understanding an earthquake is to know how the rupture is distributed on the fault plane, which is directly related to the amount of ground shaking and the damage it could cause at the surface," said Dr Jianbao Sun of the Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration (IGCEA).
The locations of the intersections and their shallow depth "means they are very much to blame for the very high destruction and human casualties at Yingxiu, Beichuan and Nanba," Zheng-Kang Shen of the China Earthquake Administration, the lead author of the study, told The Associated Press.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, Shen Zhengkang of the China Earthquake Administration and colleagues said the May 12, 2008 quake comprised a strong seismic wave, unusual geology and the failure of three subterranean "barriers" to resist the shock.
More than 22,000 aftershocks have been detected since May 12 in the Sichuan area quake zone, the report said, citing information from the China Earthquake Administration.
One of the very fundamental issues for understanding an earthquake is to know how the rupture is distributed on the fault plane, which is directly related to the amount of ground shaking and the damage it could cause at the surface," said Dr Jianbao Sun of the Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration (IGCEA).
In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Sunday, Shen Zhengkang of the China Earthquake Administration and colleagues said the May 12, 2008 quake comprised a strong seismic wave, unusual geology and the failure of three subterranean "barriers" to resist the shock.
Lei Xinglin, a geophysicist at the government's China Earthquake Administration, also published a report in December saying the process of storing water in Zipingpu had an impact on faultlines in the area.
Lei Xinglin, a geophysicist at the government's China Earthquake Administration, said reservoirs increase seismic activity but will not cause an earthquake.
