More Than Half Of India Earthquake Prone

By STAFF Writer
September 19, 2011

INDIA NEWS - Not only Sikkim and the Northeast as a whole, more than half of the country is earthquake prone. In twenty years the Sunday evening earthquake in Northeast was the worst, measured 6.8 on Richter scale and the epicenter was Sikkim.

According to Central Seismological Observatory data, the entire region is increasingly unstable. In 2009 there were 34 earthquakes there, 26 in 2008, 26 again in 2007 and in 2006 it was hit 23 times.

Northeast, Punjab, Rann of Kutch, parts of Kashmir and central Himalayas fall in Zone 5 of areas most prone to quakes. Jammu, Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra and Indo-Gangetic basin is in Zone 4, slightly less risky but extremely dangerous. Zone 3 areas have moderate risk where as Zone 2 is the safest.

Few days before Zone 4 Delhi experienced 4.2 intensity earthquake. However, scientists deny of any connection between the two quakes.

RS Dattatrayam, Seismologist at India Meteorological Department said, "It is incorrect to connect a 4.2 intensity earthquake in Delhi with a 6.8 one in Sikkim."




Earthquake Pictographic

Graph of largest earthquakes 1905-2005
[click on image to enlarge]

Sikkim shakemap
[click on image to enlarge]

Earthquakes in India 1881-2011

Date	Local Time	Location	Fatalities	Magnitude
18.09. 2011	18:10:48	Sikkim	To be determined	6.9
07.09. 2011	11:28:00	Delhi	To be determined	4.2
08.10. 2005	08:50:38	Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh	80,000	7.6
26.12. 2004	07:58:53	Off  west coast northern Sumatra	283,106	9.0 to 9.3
26.01. 2001	08:50:00	Kutchh	20,000	7.6/7.7
30.09.1993	03.50	Latur-Killari	9,748	6.2
20.10.1991	21:23:14 UTC	Uttarkashi region of Uttarakhand	2,000	7.0
15.08.1950		Tibetan plateau of Arunachal Pradesh	1,526	8.5
15.01.1934	14:13	Bihar	8,100	8.7
12.06.1897		Shillong	1,500	8.1
31.12.1881	07:49	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	none	7.9

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September 19, 2011 | 0 comments

Powerful Quake 0f 6.8 magnitude hits Japan

A strong earthquake injured over 100 people due to tumbling of boulders onto a national highway in northern Japan, The magnitude of the quake was 6.8. A month before a 7.2 magnitude quake killed minimum of 12 people in the northern mountains.

The earthquake struck after midnight at a depth of 65 miles close to the coast of Iwate Prefecture, 450 kms north of Tokyo. The injuries were minor and no death is recorded according to the National Policy Agency official. Though the quake shook many areas for about 40 seconds but life returned to normal immediately. Gas, phone lines, water, electricity and other necessaties are running normally. The damage is very minimal.

According to Kyodo news agency, 31 people were injured. The National Police Agency tally says of 109, including 16 serious. After inspection, several local nuclear power plants continued operations. There was a blackout to over 8000 homes after the quake.

Japan is among the earthquake-vulnerable countries in the world.

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July 25, 2008 | 0 comments