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The 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake: not a case of reservoir triggered seismicity.

Gupta HK, Rekapalli R.

GONDWANA RESEARCH

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2025.11.005 

The 12 May 2008 Mw 7.9 Sichuan, China earthquake claimed ~ 70,000 human lives. It has been debated whether it was triggered by the nearby Zipingpu Reservoir. We provide evidence for its not being a case of reservoir triggered seismicity (RTS). It occurred in a thrust fault tectonic setting, which is not conducive to RTS. Since 1920, five earthquakes of Mw 7 and larger had occurred within 300 km radius of 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Moreover, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake sequence falls in Type 1 of Mogi’s (1963) classification of earthquakes, while RTS sequences have been found to be falling in Type 2 of Mogi’s classification. The monthly frequency of earth tremors decreased consequent to the impoundment of the Zipingpu Reservoir.

Monthly distribution of ML ≥ 1 earthquakes in the vicinity Zipingpu reservoir. It is noteworthy that following the impoundment of the Zipingpu reservoir, the monthly number of tremors reduced (modified after Weiland, 2017).

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