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Article
Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake
Science
  • J. S. Kargel
  • G. J. Leonard
  • Dan H. Shugar, University of Washington Tacoma
  • U. K. Haritashya
  • A. Bevington
  • E. J. Fielding
  • K. Fujita
  • M. Geertsema
  • E. S. Miles
Publication Date
12-16-2015
Document Type
Article
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.

DOI
10.1126/science.aac8353
Publisher Policy
pre-print, post-print
Citation Information
J. S. Kargel, G. J. Leonard, Dan H. Shugar, U. K. Haritashya, et al.. "Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake" Science Vol. 351 Iss. 140 (2015) p. aac8353 - aac8353
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dan-shugar/3/