Chuetsu earthquake damages in Niigata County of Japan

An Earthquake ML=6.8 occurred on October 23, 2004 in Chuetsu area of Niigata County in Japan, which caused 40 people dead, more than 4500 people injured and 1000000 people homeless; nearly 140000 buildings were damaged or collapsed. The estated total loss of this earthquake was about 3000 billions Yen. In this paper, we investigate the Chuetsu earthquake damage from different aspects, including the seismic outline, seismicity, intensity distribution, wave feature, damage analyses, and economic losses. Finally, experiences and lessons from the earthquake damage are given. The content in this paper may be a reference for structural seismic design and code modification.