Secondary geological hazard analysis in Beichuan after the Wenchuan earthquake and recommendations for reconstruction

The Wenchuan earthquake, also known as 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, occurred along the Longmenshan fault zone on 12 May 2008 at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC). It caused serious damage to structures in the region. Beichuan is a town which is within these severely damaged areas. According to the earthquake intensity distribution map of 2008 Wenchuan earthquake officially released by the China Earthquake Administration, the earthquake intensity in Beichuan was XI on the China seismic intensity scale. As the earthquake occurred in a mountainous area, there were thousands of landslides, rockfalls, debris flows, and surface ruptures triggered by the earthquake over a broad area. These secondary geological hazards substantially increased the human, social and economic impact of the earthquake. This paper presents a post-earthquake analysis on the secondary geological hazards in Beichuan. The risk analyses associated with construction of the National Earthquake Memorial Museum in Beichuan are assessed and recommendations on risk mitigations for the mass reconstruction over the ruins are also provided based on this field study.