100-Second Detailed Account of the Moment the Wenchuan Earthquake Struck [Video]

At 2:28:02 PM, Beijing time, on May 12th, 2008, the massive Wenchuan earthquake struck. In the subsequent 100 seconds, a rupture zone approximately 500 kilometers long formed, stretching westward from Kangding to Lueyang in the east. This released about 6.3*10^16 joules of energy, equivalent to detonating over a thousand Hiroshima atomic bombs along the rupture zone within 100 seconds! The fragility and helplessness of life were profoundly moving.

What exactly happened physically during those 100 seconds after the Wenchuan earthquake? And how did these processes affect the disaster area? Below, we will provide an in-depth analysis of this great catastrophe through a video.