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India, the land of earthquakes and fault-zones

Team Rediff in Bombay

The RD Killer Quake (RD = Republic Day) had a massive build-up and elaborate rehearsals before it finally put up a morbidly grand performance. Or so it seems. Through August and September 2000, south-central parts of Gujarat have been rocked by mild and intense rumours.

The frequency of the tremors, in fact, triggered concern among seismologists who feared them to be ominous portents of an imminent major seismic movement.

Government officials, who had rushed from different parts of India to Bhavnagar, a district in the Saurashtra peninsula, and adjoining areas in the wake of the hue and cry raised by panic-struck citizens, suspected "higher crustal readjustment in the Himalayas" as the cause of the tremors.

Experts had warned that a killer earthquake could strike the region anytime as the Bhavnagar-Kodinar faultline, they suspected, had been "re-activated".

On an August 2000 Sunday, Bhavnagar, 40 km off the coastal belt near Alang Shipbreaking Yard, experienced six tremors in a short span of time. The tremors continued on and off, and on September 14, 2000, as many as 12 of them in less than 24 hours sent shockwaves through Bhavnagar.

According to media reports, Bhavnagar has a history of quakes and is a "sensitive zone". Locals have been demanding that it be declared a "danger zone."

Bhavnagar experienced quakes in 1919, 1938, 1968, 1970, 1974 (twice), 1979 and September 1999. It was declared a "sensitive zone" in 1983.

At about the same time, the Koyna region of Maharashtra and parts of the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh were rocked by mild earthquakes.

The worst case of the earth's fury in India was recorded in 1993 when a killer quake emanating from Killari village in Latur district of Maharashtra rocked the south-central parts of India, killing more than 10,000 people and devastating an entire region of the peninsula.

On May 22, 1997, a powerful earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, had rocked Jabalpur and adjoining areas, killing at least 35 people, injuring hundreds and rendering thousands homeless. Experts said the disaster demonstrated that the entire Narmada valley, spread over an area of 1,312 km in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, is earthquake-prone.

According to experts, in peninsular India, about 600,000 square km are covered by massive volcanic flows, called the Deccan traps, that act as a thick lid on the surface, making it difficult to identify the zone of weakness.

The 1938 quake of 6.3 on the Richter scale, that hit Khandwa district, did not cause much damage, as it occurred in an unpopulated mountainous area. (However, its impact is still visible in a massive crack on an abandoned railway bridge nearby.)

There were two other deadly earthquakes in India, known as the Kangra quake of 1905 and the Bihar quake of 1934. The Chamoli earthquake of March 29, 1999, rocked the central Himalaya region, causing some 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

QUAKE SNAPSHOTS:

A quick look at recent devastating earthquakes in India:

According to the India Meteorological Department, the Republic Day earthquake is the third devastating killer quake to hit Gujarat. Anjar was rocked by an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale on July 21, 1956, and Kutch by one of magnitude 7.0 way back in June 1819.

The other killer earthquakes:

Uttarkashi, Uttar Pradesh
Date: October 20, 1991
Magnitude: 6.6
Origin time: 02 hr: 53 min: 16.4 sec IST Official toll: 769

The earthquake occurred in the early hours. This earthquake of moderate magnitude created havoc in Uttarkashi and nearby areas.

Latur-Osmanabad, Maharashtra
Date: September 30, 1993
Magnitude: 6.3
Origin time: 03 hr: 55 min: 47.5 sec IST Official toll: 7,601

The earthquake rocked the districts of Latur and Osmanabad in the early hours of September 30. Houses in several villages of these two districts were converted to debris. The number of houses destroyed was approximately 30,000.

In adjoining Karnataka, 9 people were killed and about 16,000 injured.

Monuments like the Kala Gumbez of Sastur and Shiva temple of Gumbal suffered severe damage.

Chamoli, Uttar Pradesh
Date: March 29, 1999
Magnitude: 6.8
Origin Time: 00 hr: 35 min: 13.4 sec IST
Official death toll: 103

The effects of the earthquake were seen in six districts of Uttar Pradesh: Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi and Pauri Garhwal. The impact of the earthquake was more severe in the districts of Chamoli and Rudraprayag.

RELATED REPORTS:

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EXTERNAL LINKS

The RD Killer Quake of Jan 26, 2001: Technical details

A post-quake volunteer's unusual tryst with the departed

All about earthquakes in India and their impact

India Meteorological Department's earthquake reports

Disaster relief set-up in India

Major earthquakes across the world in recent times

Earthquake News: Comprehensive news, information and features

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