Earthquake in Sikkim 2011
| Earthquake in Sikkim 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 27 ° 43 '23 " N , 88 ° 3' 50" E | ||
| date | September 18, 2011 | ||
| Time | 12:40:48 UTC (local time +6: 30) | ||
| intensity | VII on the MM scale | ||
| Magnitude | 6.9 M W | ||
| depth | 19.7 km | ||
| epicenter | North Sikkim
(68 km northwest of Gangtok )
|
||
| country | India , Nepal , China , Bhutan , Bangladesh | ||
| Tsunami | No | ||
| dead | at least 118 | ||
| Injured | at least 300 | ||
The 2011 Sikkim earthquake occurred on September 18, 2011 in the Indian state of Sikkim in the southern Himalayas . The epicenter of the earthquake was located, according to the United States Geological Survey 68 km northwest of Gangtok , the capital of Sikkim, 119 kilometers north-northwest of Siliguri and 272 kilometers east of Kathmandu , Nepal . The hypocenter of the earthquake with the moment magnitude 6.9 M w was 19.7 kilometers deep. The severe tremors could be felt as far as the Indian capital New Delhi, which is more than a thousand kilometers away .
Tectonic overview
The earthquake occurred near the border between the Indian and Eurasian plates , in a mountainous region in northeastern India, not far from the border with Nepal . Initial analyzes indicated that the earthquake was complex, likely the result of two events that occurred close in time and occurred at depths of about twenty kilometers below the surface of the earth. At the latitude of the epicenter, the Indian plate converges below the Eurasian at a rate of about 46 mm / year and pushes north-northeast. The wide zone of convergence between the two plates lifted the Himalayas , the highest mountain range on earth. The previously established hearth mechanism suggests a blade shift and thus a hearth within one of the two plates than in the area between the two plates.
This region has had relatively moderate seismicity in the past; In the 35 years before the earthquake on September 18, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 5.0 were registered within a radius of 100 km from the epicenter. The largest of these earthquakes was one with a magnitude of 6.1 in November 1980, with an epicenter 75 km further to the southeast.
Victims and damage
In the sparsely populated Sikkim alone, 75 fatalities were counted. Another 24 deaths were reported in West Bengal and Bihar , 11 deaths in Nepal , 7 deaths in southern Tibet and 1 death in Bhutan . In the mountain town of Saffo, 17 workers who were employed on a hydropower project in the valley of the Tista were killed. In Kathmandu, three people lost their lives when a wall collapsed in the British embassy.
The city of Gangtok was cut off from the outside world for two days as landslides in 30 different locations spilled the access roads. In Sikkim, 80 percent of all buildings were damaged, and quite a few collapsed. Many houses were not earthquake-proof because they were illegally built. The authorities announced stricter building regulations. Several villages in the northern mountain regions were still inaccessible for a week after the disaster. The earthquake caused considerable property damage not only in the areas mentioned, but also in Bangladesh .
Rescue operations
According to the authorities, more than 5,000 soldiers and police officers have been mobilized for rescue work in Sikkim. Over 100 makeshift camps for the homeless have been set up. 15 helicopters of the Indian Air Force supplied the population in particularly affected the north of Sikkim among other foods. Three dozen partially injured tourists, including two Norwegians, were flown out of the earthquake area. Two days after the tremors, the rescue workers managed to reopen the road between Gangtok and the town of Mangan, which is near the epicenter. After a week, nine important roads could be used again; Traffic routes around Chungthang were still blocked. Monsoon rains and thick fog hampered the rescue work.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Magnitude 6.9 - SIKKIM, INDIA Details ( English ) United States Geological Survey . September 19, 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ↑ Rescuers advance in the earthquake zone sueddeutsche.de, September 19, 2011
- ↑ a b Magnitude 6.9 - SIKKIM, INDIA Summary ( English ) United States Geological Survey . September 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ↑ a b c 10,000 food packets airdropped, toll rises to 118 The Hindu, 23 September 2011
- ↑ Scores Killed in Himalayan Quake Voice of America, September 21, 2011
- ↑ 7 killed in Nepal as earthquake strikes Himalayan region DNA India, September 19, 2011
- ^ India Today September 26, 2011
- ↑ Sikkim quake: Snapped road links hamper rescue ops The Times of India, September 20, 2011
- ↑ Sikkim earthquake: 35 tourists airlifted, toll crosses 90 The Times of India, 21. September 2011
- ↑ Relief reaches worst quake-hit areas The Times of India, September 21, 2011
