Abstract:

 On May 12, 2008, Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake triggered widespread damaging landslides in many parts of the Longmenshan area. The Donghekou ejection landslide was a special one of them and caused the great loss of life, which was located at Donghekou village, Qinchuan, Sichuan Province. The Beichuan rupture terminated at there. As an ejection landslide occurred at the special place, it is different from landslides caused by gravity and rainstorm: there was no uniform continuous slide face; it was comprised of the upper deep slide face and the lower shallow slide face; and the landslide started from the ejected body because of the large seismic horizontal and vertical acceleration. Studies indicate that the regular distribution of the landslide zone and dominolike ground tension cracks zone at the both sides of the Beichuan rupture was controlled by the forming process of the ground rupture, namely the type of active fault moving. The phenomenon suggests that researchers should consider the vertical acceleration and the occurring place, besides the shaking, horizontal acceleration and geomorphological and geological conditions, when evaluating the earthquaketriggered huge landslides.

Key words: Wenchuan earthquake, Donghekou ejectionlandslide, terminus of rupture, strikeslip fault