Earthquake characteristics and building damage in high-intensity areas of Wenchuan earthquake II: Dujiangyan and Pengzhou City

On May 12, 2008, a massive earthquake occurred along the Longmen Mountain Central Fault in Sichuan Province, China, causing serious damages to buildings near the fault. As the Longmen Mountain Central Fault and the Anterior Fault both traversed Dujiangyan and Pengzhou cities, the seismic intensity in these areas reached levels IX–XI. Therefore, these two cities were among the most seriously damaged regions. In this article, the types of damage to buildings in the two cities and their affiliated towns or villages are investigated and reported. It is found that the damage to a building is related to its structure type, distance from the faults, and so on. The results provide valuable information on the seismic resistance of buildings in similar areas. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011