Title |
Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake
|
---|---|
Published in |
Science, December 2015
|
DOI | 10.1126/science.aac8353 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
J S Kargel, G J Leonard, D H Shugar, U K Haritashya, A Bevington, E J Fielding, K Fujita, M Geertsema, E S Miles, J Steiner, E Anderson, S Bajracharya, G W Bawden, D F Breashears, A Byers, B Collins, M R Dhital, A Donnellan, T L Evans, M L Geai, M T Glasscoe, D Green, D R Gurung, R Heijenk, A Hilborn, K Hudnut, C Huyck, W W Immerzeel, Jiang Liming, R Jibson, A Kääb, N R Khanal, D Kirschbaum, P D A Kraaijenbrink, D Lamsal, Liu Shiyin, Lv Mingyang, D McKinney, N K Nahirnick, Nan Zhuotong, S Ojha, J Olsenholler, T H Painter, M Pleasants, K C Pratima, Q I Yuan, B H Raup, D Regmi, D R Rounce, A Sakai, Shangguan Donghui, J M Shea, A B Shrestha, A Shukla, D Stumm, M van der Kooij, K Voss, Wang Xin, B Weihs, D Wolfe, Wu Lizong, Yao Xiaojun, M R Yoder, N Young |
Abstract |
The Gorkha earthquake (M 7.8) on 25 April 2015 and later aftershocks struck South Asia, killing ~9,000 and damaging a large region. Supported by a large campaign of responsive satellite data acquisitions over the earthquake disaster zone, our team undertook a satellite image survey of the earthquakes' induced geohazards in Nepal and China and an assessment of the geomorphic, tectonic, and lithologic controls on quake-induced landslides. Timely analysis and communication aided response and recovery and informed decision makers. We mapped 4,312 co-seismic and post-seismic landslides. We also surveyed 491 glacier lakes for earthquake damage, but found only 9 landslide-impacted lakes and no visible satellite evidence of outbursts. Landslide densities correlate with slope, peak ground acceleration, surface downdrop, and specific metamorphic lithologies and large plutonic intrusions. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 11 | 22% |
United Kingdom | 7 | 14% |
Nepal | 3 | 6% |
Canada | 3 | 6% |
Italy | 2 | 4% |
Germany | 1 | 2% |
India | 1 | 2% |
Greece | 1 | 2% |
Nigeria | 1 | 2% |
Other | 3 | 6% |
Unknown | 17 | 34% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 32 | 64% |
Scientists | 16 | 32% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 2% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 4 | <1% |
Germany | 2 | <1% |
India | 2 | <1% |
Japan | 2 | <1% |
Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 442 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 105 | 23% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 79 | 17% |
Student > Master | 56 | 12% |
Student > Bachelor | 30 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 23 | 5% |
Other | 60 | 13% |
Unknown | 100 | 22% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 180 | 40% |
Environmental Science | 53 | 12% |
Engineering | 43 | 9% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 9 | 2% |
Social Sciences | 8 | 2% |
Other | 26 | 6% |
Unknown | 134 | 30% |