The Sichuan earthquake that occurred last week in China was, according to geologists, was a two stage quake, with the total duration of about 2 minutes. According to geologists at Tsukuba University, the quake was movement along the Longmenshan Fault that moved earth in two sections. Geologists report that because the quake was a shallow one (about 6 miles beneath the surface), it had a greater effect on the area near the epicenter, which, as we know, is highly populated.

The quake was devastating. The map below shows some of the communities that were heavily damaged. You can go to this site, and click on the individual communities to read about the earthquake.

Map of the Sichuan earthquake. Source: BBC news

Impact on People
This was a quake that had two strong tremors, and caused utter destruction in some areas of the Sichuan Province. NBC news showed a video obtained from a British TV network showing these eventful two minutes. The scenes are a powerful depiction of what happens to people caught in an earthquake of this magnitude.

Cause of the Quake
The quake was caused by movement along a thrust fault located on Longmenshan Fault (yellow line). The deformation of the rocks in this region was caused by the the collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic (crustal) plates and the continued movement of the plates relative to each other. The Sichuan Province is a very active tectonic area, as is the entire West Coast of the United States.

This map shows the tectonics in the Sichuan Province, and in particular the Longmenshan thrust fault and the epicenter of the earthquake (red star). The Source: He and Tsukada