Direct Estimation of Earthquake Source Properties from a Single CCTV Camera

We present the first direct measurement of the slip-rate function during a natural coseismic rupture, recorded during the 28 March 2025, Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake (Myanmar). This measurement was made on a video footage of the surface rupture captured by a security camera located only meters away from the fault trace. Using direct image analysis, we measured the relative slip at each time step and deduced the slip rate. Our results show a local slip duration of 1.3 s, and that the surface slip velocity peaked at nearly 3 m/s during the passage of the slip front, with a cumulative slip of approximately 3 m. These findings demonstrate the pulse-like nature of the seismic rupture, at least at the location of the recording. Using analytical rupture models, we obtain the complete mechanical properties of this pulse including the energy release rate.