A rapid identification method for severely earthquake-damaged areas based on damaged mobile phone base stations in China

Obtaining an accurate map of severely damaged areas immediately after an earthquake is a high priority in China. Previous methods of mapping these areas in the country have been too slow. The increasing number of mobile phone base stations provides a new means of identifying areas severely damaged by earthquakes in a very short time. In this study, we derive a new method based on the data of faulty mobile phone base stations. Our results show that areas of extreme earthquake damage identified according to base stations damaged by the Ludian and Lushan earthquakes were in very good agreement with large-magnitude seismic intensity zones outlined by the China Earthquake Administration. This indicates the reliability of our method, which can be used to help the government provide timely rescue after an earthquake and direct resources to high-priority areas.