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TOKYO (AP) — The fault line that caused this week's devastating earthquake in China probably buckled in two stages, and the hardness of the terrain contributed to the wide reach of the damage, Japanese scientists said Thursday.The 7.9-magnitude quake on Monday struck in Sichuan province but rattled buildings as far away as Beijing, Shanghai and Thailand, affecting 10 million people and killing at least 15,000.

Yuji Yagi, a seismologist at Tsukuba University, said data show the 155-mile Longmenshan Fault tore in two sections, the first one ripping about 7½ yards, followed by a second one that sheared 4⅓ yards.

Despite the two-stage quake, which he estimated lasted for about two minutes, it was the shallowness of the epicenter — only 6 miles — that contributed most to the temblor's destructive power, he said.

"The damage was very severe because the quake's epicenter was shallow, and the quake occurred in densely populated areas," said Yagi.>> Full Article

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