Moments after an earthquake hit Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, April 4, social media platforms were abuzz not just with the news of the natural calamity but also because there is something really uncanny about the earthquake.
Exactly 119 years ago on April 4, a devastating earthquake had struck Himachal Pradesh. While several places were affected, Kangra was the worst hit.
What was the Kangra earthquake
The 1905 Kangra earthquake was a devastating seismic event that occurred in the Kangra Valley and Kangra region of the Punjab Province (modern-day Himachal Pradesh). With a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, it resulted in widespread destruction and loss of life, claiming the lives of more than 20,000 people.
Also Read: Earthquake hits Chamba in Himachal Pradesh
The earthquake severely affected the towns of Kangra, Mcleodganj, and Dharamshala, where most buildings were destroyed. The epicenter of the Kangra earthquake was located within the zone of thrusts along the front of the Himalayas, where the Indian plate collides with the Eurasian plate.
~7.8 magnitude destructive Earthquake hit Kangra on 4th April 1905 at 6:19am
Some old pics after the Earthquake
1) Forysthganj Church
2) Mata Brajeshwari Temple
3) Palampur Bazar
4) McleodganjMore than 20,000 people estimated to have been killed from this Earthquake pic.twitter.com/anYHyWC0AT
— Weatherman Shubham (@shubhamtorres09) April 4, 2024
The rupture area of the earthquake was estimated to be 280 km × 80 km, with a depth of 6 km along a very shallow dipping thrust fault, likely on the Main Himalayan Thrust detachment. Despite not reaching the surface, the Kangra earthquake caused significant damage due to its blind thrust nature.
The devastation caused by Kangra earthquake
The intensity of the earthquake reached its peak, recorded as X on the Rossi–Forel intensity scale, in Kangra. Areas as far as 150 km southeast of the epicenter experienced increased intensity, reaching VIII, including cities like Dehradun and Saharanpur. It was felt at level VII in towns like Kasauli, Bilaspur, Chamba, and even as far as Lahore.
On this day, in 1905, a 7.8 Mw #earthquake in Kangra valley, killed 20000 people. There were two centres of great violence, one near Kangra & Dharmsala, where the tenth degree of the Rossi-Forel scale was surpassed, the other in Dehradun, where the ninth degree was not reached. https://t.co/uAGUWbAqle pic.twitter.com/H0qhh2vS3z
— Harsh Vats (@HarshVatsa7) April 4, 2024
The devastation caused by the earthquake was immense, with approximately 100,000 buildings demolished and 53,000 domestic animals lost. Major damage was also inflicted on the network of hillside aqueducts that supplied water to the affected area. The total cost of recovery from the earthquake’s effects was estimated at 2.9 million rupees in 1905.
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