NASA Satellite Helps Scientists See Effects Of Earthquakes in Remote Areas

The unique capabilities of a NASA earth-observing satellite have allowed researchers to view the effects of a major earthquake that occurred in 2001 in Northern India near the border of Pakistan, through the use of Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite.

Lead author Bernard Pinty of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability in the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy, and colleagues from the U.S., France and Germany, used the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite to observe the effects of a massive earthquake in the Gujarat province of India.

As a result of the earthquake's intense ground shaking, loosely-packed, water-saturated sediments in the area liquefied, behaving more like a liquid than a solid. Ground water flowed up to the surface carrying sediments, flooding large areas including ancient riverbeds.

For the complete article on the satellite capture of earthquakes, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0115gujarat.html