Misblog

Today, a powerful 7.8 earthquake (地震) (10km deep; thrust) strikes 60 mile northwest of Chengdu (成都), China (Wikimapia, aerial map) in Sichuan Province.

Res:

• USGS, Earthquake Center
  
  • Latest activity Sichuan quake area

Web:

• UPDATED 11/21/2008 BBC, China 'student quake toll 19,000'.
• UPDATED 06/10/2008 BBC, China wins quake lake 'victory'.

• UPDATED 05/28/2008 WP, Picking Up the Pieces. A series of great post-quake Washington Post photos, as life goes on...photo holding is a universal tribute to humanity worldwide and implicitly delivers a message of hope, not just to us, but for us! Washington Post panorama picture of epicenter town Yinxiu.

  Supply Delivery

• UPDATED 05/20/2008 AP, Sichuan: 40,000 dead in province after China quake.
• UPDATED 05/19/2008 BBC, China mourns earthquake victims.
• UPDATED 05/19/2008 AP, China holding 3 days of mourning for quake victims. China suspends the Olympic Torch relay during a three day period of mourning as international help continues flowing into China.

• UPDATED 05/18/2008 AP, US military planes carry aid to China quake victims

  Two United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets are en route to Chengdu, China (Sichuan Providence) loaded with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals for China's earthquake victims.

  PLA trucks and helicopters will be used to ferry these supplies to the surrounding townships and villages isolated by the powerful earthquake.

  This Air Force-PLA supply bridge must continue until the earthquake victims' basic needs for food and shelter has been satisfied. Additionally, the United States in connection with WHO must provide medical personnel to assist China's medical personnel with earthquake victims' medical treatments and disease control/abatement.

• UPDATED 05/17/2008 BBC, China praises world's quake aid
• UPDATED 05/12/2008 ChinaView (Xinhua), English, Sichuan Earthquake 2008 Central
• UPDATED 05/12/2008 Xinhuanet, English, Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China
• UPDATED 05/12/2008 Xinhuanet, English,
  China's Hu says quake relief government's top priority
• UPDATED 05/12/2008 Xinhuanet, English, Earthquake measuring 7.8 Richter scale hits SW China, 5 dead

• Christian Science Monitor

  • UPDATED 05/15/2008 Christian Science Monitor, Volunteers flood in but China quake toll rising. Victim reports become grimmer as rescuers reach the earthquake's epicenter at Wenchuan. The weather is improving which is helpful in the recovery (hope of rescue is fast fading) efforts. Aftershocks are still occurring in the 4.0 - 5.4 Richter range, which are strong enough to hinder recovery efforts.
  • UPDATED 05/13/2008 Christian Science Monitor, China's quake: Why did so many schools collapse? One wonders why buildings in Beichuan, so far north from the epicenter and in the relatively small 5.0 - 5.2 Richter range, collapsed?
  • UPDATED 05/12/2008 Christian Science Monitor, China moves quickly in quake zone
• UPDATED 05/12/2008 AFP, Bush: US 'ready to help' China after quake
• State media: 900 students buried by China quake

Blog:

• UPDATED 05/13/2008 NPR, Chengdu Diary. Blogging from the epicenter.

  NPR's Melissa Block has become the Christian Amanpour of the Sichuan Earthquake.

• UPDATED 05/12/2008 Berkeley, China Digital Times, Strong Earthquake Hits Southwest China(Updated)

Wikipedia:

• 2008 Sichuan earthquake
• Richter Scale (里氏) Magnitude . Estimates the Sichuan earthquake equivalent energy at 600¹ megatons explosion!

YouTube:

-----notes-----

1. Perhaps closer too 688 megatons of equivalent energy.

In a thrust earthquake (aka reverse thrust fault) the opposing floor and overhang fissure parts move toward and under/over (respectively) each other at some angle. Its relative closeness to the surface (10km 19km deep) means its energy will significantly distort the pre-earthquake surface.

Thankfully, much of the area is rural where distorting surfaces effect relatively fewer surface structures (although no less tragic for those individuals and family affected).

Hopefully the international aid response will match the speedy response of China's—rain is complicating responses:

• The International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies - China - Sichuan Earthquake
• American Red Cross - Chengdu, China earthquake response

• List of Agencies responding to China and other earthquakes.
  WARNING: Please only give after you are personally convinced that the organization is effective, efficient, and reputable (scam, scum, and large overhead organizations are unhelpful, even if the tax deduction may be the same).

  You can check out organizations at Charity Navigator AND American Institute of Philanthropy a charity watchdog group AND Guidestar AND Economic Research Institute.

  If an organization’s information is non-existence or outdated or not current, accurate and complete, don't give—it’s often an indicator of disarray, negative current trends, lack of broad base donor support etc.

  Of course, there are often legitimate reasons for an organization’s aberrant or non-standard information and reporting, but it is often too difficult for an outside giver to sort out and verify. Even professionals and longtime givers to an organization have problems! Typical givers, should not have to sort this information out.