The Sichuan earthquake is quantified on the basis of its spectral magnitudes of the P- and of the S-waves. The maximum spectral magnitudes of the two waves occur at different periods.
The S-wave energy radiated during the earthquake was drawn from unusually large volume, if compared to the P-waves. The spectral features of the body waves of the Sichuan earthquake are analysed on the background of the spectral features of a selection of worldwide earthquakes The Sichuan earthquake fits well into the features of the earthquakes in the surrounding regions