Nepal earthquake on the radar Radar imagery from the Sentinel-1A satellite shows that the maximum land deformation is only 17 km from Nepal capital, Kathmandu, which explains the extremely high damage experienced in this area.

By combining Sentinel-1A imagery acquired before and after the quake, changes on the ground that occurred between the two acquisition dates lead to rainbow-coloured interference patterns in the combined image, known as an ˜interferogram™, enabling scientists to quantify the ground movement.

Combining two Sentinel-1A radar scans from 17 and 29 April 2015, this interferogram shows changes on the ground that occurred during the 25 April earthquake that struck Nepal. An overall area of 120x100 km has moved “ half of that uplifted and the other half, north of Kathmandu subsided. Vertical accuracy is a few cm. Copyright Contains Copernicus data (2015)/ESA/Norut/PPO.labs/COMET“ESA SEOM INSARAP study
Combining two Sentinel-1A radar scans from 17 and 29 April 2015, this interferogram shows changes on the ground that occurred during the 25 April earthquake that struck Nepal. An overall area of 120×100 km has moved “ half of that uplifted and the other half, north of Kathmandu subsided. Vertical accuracy is a few cm. Copyright Contains Copernicus data (2015)/ESA/Norut/PPO.labs/COMET“ESA SEOM INSARAP study

Sentinel-1A swath width of 250 km over land surfaces has allowed for an unprecedented area size to be analysed from a single scan. The entire area will be covered under the same geometry every 12 days, allowing for the wider region to be regularly monitored and fully analysed for land deformation with the powerful ˜interferometry™ technique.

Products ensuring a full coverage of the affected area prior to the earthquake were available to all scientists under the Copernicus free and open data policy, and will continue to be available.

Interferogram over Kathmandu, Nepal, generated from two Sentinel-1A scans on 17 and 29 April 2015 “ before and after the 25 April earthquake. Each  ˜fringe™ of colour represents about 3 cm of deformation. The large amount of fringes indicates a large deformation pattern with ground motions of 1 m or more. Copyright Contains Copernicus data (2015)/ESA/DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute/GFZ/e-GEOS/INGV“ESA SEOM INSARAP study
Interferogram over Kathmandu, Nepal, generated from two Sentinel-1A scans on 17 and 29 April 2015 “ before and after the 25 April earthquake. Each ˜fringe™ of colour represents about 3 cm of deformation. The large amount of fringes indicates a large deformation pattern with ground motions of 1 m or more. Copyright Contains Copernicus data (2015)/ESA/DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute/GFZ/e-GEOS/INGV“ESA SEOM INSARAP study

Sentinel-1A is the first satellite for the Copernicus environment-monitoring programme led by the European Commission. Its all-weather, day-or-night radar imagery is particularly suited to support impact assessment for many types of geohazards. The satellite is planned to provide systematic observations of tectonic and volcanic areas at global level.

Imagery from the Sentinels and other Copernicus contributing missions are coordinated by ESA to be used by the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS), which supports all phases of the emergency management cycle.

Sentinel-1A interferogram over Kathmandu, Nepal, showing deformation induced by the 25 April 2015 earthquake. East“west ˜fringes™ cross the city, with each coloured fringe corresponding to 2.8 cm of ground displacement (both uplift and subsidence). The interferogram combines two Sentinel-1A images from 17 and 29 April 2015. Copyright: Contains Copernicus data (2015)/R. Grandin/IPGP/CNRS
Sentinel-1A interferogram over Kathmandu, Nepal, showing deformation induced by the 25 April 2015 earthquake. East“west ˜fringes™ cross the city, with each coloured fringe corresponding to 2.8 cm of ground displacement (both uplift and subsidence). The interferogram combines two Sentinel-1A images from 17 and 29 April 2015. Copyright: Contains Copernicus data (2015)/R. Grandin/IPGP/CNRS

The Copernicus EMS was activated on the day the earthquake struck, prompting ESA to begin collecting satellite imagery, which is being made available to support relief efforts.

In parallel, the International Charter Space and Major Disasters was activated by India, China and the UN. Partner Agencies of this initiative have been providing data and products over the area to relief organisations.