ARIA Provides New Look of Earth's Surface from Nepal Quake

It was only a minute the duration of the earthquake of Nepal, but this minute was enough to deform the Earth's surface as we used to know!

The Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis project (ARIA) enables Nasa and its partners to calculate a map of the deformation of Earth's surface caused by the magnitude 7.8 quake. As viewed by the satellite in a 70-day interval between two ALOS-2 images, acquired February 21 and May 2, 2015, the false-color map shows the amount of surface which moved permanently.

The color contours show the surface displacements, where each color cycle represents 4.7 inches (11.9 centimeters) of surface motion. As it can be seen from the contours in the map, the land around Kathmandu has moved upward by more than 40 inches (1 meter) toward the satellite, assuming purely vertical motion. Areas, having heavy vegetetion or snow, do not have color contours, since they affect the radar measurements. Through these maps, scientists can note the land movements caused by earthquakes and be able to estimate the impact on future earthquake activity.

For more information about ARIA, visit: ARIA