The 2001 Kokoxili (Mw 7.8) earthquake ruptured about 400 km of the Kunlun fault in northern Tibet and is one of the longest strike-slip events recorded by modern seismic networks. The contours indicate the intensity of high-frequency seismic radiation as imaged using back-projection of globally recorded P-waves, with the strongest regions plotted in red. Analysis shows that the rupture propagated at ~ 2.6 km/s for the first 120 km and then accelerated to ~ 5.7 km/s, a super-shear (faster than S-wave speed) velocity that continued for at least 290 km away from the epicenter. (Image courtesy of K.T. Walker and P.M. Shearer.)