Pakistan- North India Earthquake

1
Pakistan- North India Earthquake

• Ariana Snowdon, Ben Smolen,
• Chris Jasinski, Eli Bronner

2
Geologic History of the Region

• India once belonged to an Island continent called
  Gondwanaland
• 140 million years ago, India began it's northward
  movement, on a collision course with the Eurasian
  continent
• The point where the two continents were joined is
  known as the Indus-Yarlung Suture zone
• 60 million years, the Indian and Asian plates
  became closely welded along this suture zone

3

• Formation of the Himalayas is result of collision
  of continents, contraction of the Tethyan ocean,
  and elements from the mountains of then northern
  India, the oceanic crust, and the deep sea
  sediments from the Jurassic and Cretaceous
  periods.
• 3 phases
• 1st up thrust lead to the formation of a lower
  range of hills known as the Shivaliks, made up of
  erosion elements of the rising Himalayas.
• 2nd lead to further uplift of the central axis,
  and the formation of the great peaks of the
  Garhwal Himalaya and Nanda Devi.
• 3rd lead to rise the Himalayas, Transhimalaya,
  Karakorum, and the whole of the Tibetan region,
  which in the last 1 million years it has risen by
  nearly 5,000 meters, an average of 4-5
  millimeters per year.

4
History of Quakes in the Region

• As a result, large lakes were also formed as
  rising rivers were blocked by the emergent
  ranges.
• As the rising Pir Panjal range blocked the Jhelum
  River, it turned what we know as The Vale of
  Kashmir into a lake.

• Jan. 23, 1556 - Shansi, China 830,000 Deaths
  n.a.
• July 27, 1976 Tangshan, China 255,000 Deaths
  8.0
• Dec. 26 2004 off west coast of Sumatra
  242,000 Deaths 9.0
• May 22, 1927 Xining, China 200,000 Deaths
  8.3
• Dec. 22, 856 Damghan, Iran 200,000 Deaths
  n.a.
• Dec. 16, 1920 Gansu, China 200,000 Deaths
  8.6
• March 23, 893 Ardibil, Iran 150,000 Deaths
  n.a.
• Oct 5, 1948 - Ashbagat, Turkmenistan 110,000
  Deaths 7.3
• Sept. 1290 Chihli, China 100,000 Deaths
  n.a.
• Oct. 8, 2005 Pakistan 88,710 Deaths 7.6
• Nov. 18, 1727 Tabriz, Iran 77,000 Deaths
  n.a.
• Dec. 25, 1932 Gansu, China 70,000 Deaths
  7.6
• May 30, 1935 Quetta, Pakistan 30,000- 60,000
  Deaths 7.5
• June 20, 1990 Iran 50,000 Deaths 7.7

5
October 8, 2005, 850am local time

• Kashmir region of Northern India has general
  unstable seismicity
• Result of Indian tectonic plate colliding with
  Eurasian plate
• Hypocenter reported at a depth of 16 miles below
  the earths surface
• Magnitude of 7.8 on Richter Scale
• Quake caused massive damage in Northern Pakistan,
  Northern India, and Afghanistan
• Kashmir region suffered the most damage

6

• The Pakistani province of Punjab felt aftershocks
  of magnitudes of around 4.5.
• There were 147 aftershocks felt and reported, the
  first day following the original earthquake. One
  of secondary quakes reported a magnitude of 6.2.
• As of October 27, there were 978 aftershocks with
  magnitudes of 4.0 or over.
• There were a reported 73,276 dead as a result,
  and around 100,000 more injured.
• http//www.drgeorgepc.com/Earthquake2005Pakistan.h
  tml
• Pakistan is defenseless to landslides as a result
  of the high relief of the unstable mountains.
  Monsoon rains before or after an earthquake can
  result in very serious damage. After the
  earthquake, Muzaffarabad a city in Pakistan, was
  pummeled with landslides.

7
Political Response and Immediate Aftermath

• Pakistan government quickly realized that
  magnitude of the disaster was beyond their
  capabilities, and sought international aid.
• Aid came in the form of money, medical supplies,
  food, helicopters, tents, and blankets
• UNHCR was at forefront of response, sending over
  30,000 family tents, 100,000 blankets, 2000
  stoves
• U.S. pledged 156 million in initial support, as
  well as sending military and medical personnel,
  mobilizing many military helicopters to assist in
  food and supply drops
• Final statistics find that 15,000 villages were
  affected, several major cities were virtually
  flattened, over 74,000 killed, over 106,000
  injured, and an estimated 3.5 million were left
  homeless
• 5.8 million USD was contributed from the
  international community

8

• Weak buildings contributed to high number of
  deaths
• Poor road construction led to many roads being
  damaged, hampering relief efforts and cutting
  many villages off from the relief supplies.
• Snow began falling on October 13, further
  impeding relief efforts.
• International relief was slow to arrive, due in
  part to the slow response from the Pakistani
  government and perhaps also due in part to the
  two other major natural disasters in the
  preceding year- the Asian tsunami and Hurricane
  Katrina.
• Slow response led to higher death toll than
  necessary, with many more dying from infection as
  minor wounds turned serious without proper
  medical attention, as well as cold and lack of
  food and sanitary water.

9
Long Term Effects

• Lack of technology in the area resulted in slower
  response than was needed. Lacking machinery,
  people were forced to use pickaxes and dig by
  hand for survivors and bodies.
• Power was destroyed to many villages, leaving
  many without water.
• Unsanitary water resulted in the spread of many
  diseases, including typhoid and measles
• Exposure and the high altitude of the region
  became more serious as the Himalayan winter
  approached
• Line of Control between India and Pakistan,
  usually politically tense and violent region, was
  opened in five places to allow for exchange of
  medical supplies and relief efforts

10

• As of 2006, recovery efforts are ongoing
• Japan International Cooperation Agency proposed
  40 billion dollar land plan to help rebuild
  damaged areas
• A year later, some areas are still red-zoned
  and receiving no aid because of their location in
  geographically unstable areas
• Approx. 2 million people are still living in
  temporary shelter
• Lack of media attention and remote location have
  led to fall-off of international aid, despite
  millions still suffering.