The earthquake has been ascribed to slip on a thrust fault trending north–south with a dip of 60° to the east, from geodetic data analysis.

The areal distribution of the individual shocks showed no progression along the fault plane as would be expected with a propagating fracture.

In all but one case, the landslides involved Quaternary material, the exception being a slide that was controlled by bedding planes in a Permian limestone.

Rock avalanches occurred on steeper slopes, particularly affecting jointed and weathered Permian limestone and Triassic sandstone/shale sequences.

The largest landslide formed a dam up to 30 metres (98 ft) high across the Yangtze River, turning the valley above it into a lake.