The MS 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake of 12 May 2008 occurred along the Longmenshan fault zone in the western Sichuan Basin, resulting in inestimable casualties and property losses as well as continuous surface ruptures (seismic fault). Based on the detailed interpretation of coseismic surface ruptures using the postearthquake highresolution remote sensing images, which were acquired by the remote sensing airplanes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Taiwan FORMOSAT2 spaceborne sensors, combined with the postearthquake field investigations, this study ascertains the spatial distribution of the surface ruptures produced by the MS 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. The results indicate that the great MS 8.0 Wenchan earthquake produced a nearly 300 kmlong surface rupture zone with a complicated geometry, and distributes discontinuously along the preexisting NE-trending active faults. The deformation is characterized mainly by thrust compressing and dextral strikeslip component. The surface ruptures can be divided into 2 zones according to the location of active faults: one is the central surface rupture zone with a length of about 230 km, which distributes along the YingxiuBeichuan fault, stretching from southwest of Yingxiu Town of Wenchuan County to northeast of Shikan Town of Pingwu County, with a maximum vertical displacement up to about 6.0 m and the rightlateral horizontal offset up to 5.8 m; the other is the piedmont surface rupture zone with a length of about 70 km, which distributes along the GuanxianAnxian fault, beginning from the Xiange town of Dujiangyan City, and terminating around the Suishui Town of Anxian County. The deformation is characterized by the thrust faulting with a maximum vertical displacement of 2.5 m. In addition, the analysis of remote sensing image shows that most of the geological disasters such as landslide and collapse distribute along the hanging wall of abovementioned earthquake fault zones. Therefore, special research should be given to geological hazard effect related to thrustfaulting.