About the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake

The 5.12 earthquake occurred at Beijing time (UTC+8) on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 14:28:04. According to data from the Seismological Bureau of the People’s Republic of China, the magnitude of the surface wave of the earthquake reached 8.0 Ms and the magnitude of the moment reached 8.3 Mw (according to the data of the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the moment is 7.9 Mw). The seismic intensity reached 11 degrees. The earthquake wave of the earthquake has confirmed that it has surrounded the earth six times.

The earthquake affected most of China and many Asian countries and regions, Liaoning, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan. The 5.12 earthquake severely damaged more than 100,000 square kilometers, including 10 counties (cities) in the severely affected areas, 41 counties (cities) in the hardest hit areas, and 186 counties (cities) in the general disaster areas. As of 12:00 on September 18, 2008, the 5.12 earthquake killed 69,227 people, 374,643 people were injured, and 17,923 people were missing. It is the most destructive earthquake since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

http://www.tectonics.caltech.edu/outreach/highlights/2008MayChinaEQ/