E-Paper
Major Indian earthquakes
Recorded seismic history in India is comparatively recent, going back to only two centuries.
Recorded seismic history in India is comparatively recent, going back to only two centuries. While there must have been major earthquakes in the past, information on them is rather sketchy, usually gleamed from literary sources.
However the last two hundred years have seen an increasingly scientific recording of quakes, including their magnitude and effects.
Some of the major quakes since 1800:
Year Place & Date Magnitude
1737 Calcutta, Bengal > 6
1819 Kachchh June 16, 8
1833 Bihar-Nepal August 26, 7.5
1897 Assam June 12, 8.7
1905 Kangra April 4, 8
1934 Bihar-Nepal June 15, 8.4
1950 Assam August 15, 8.7
1967 Koyna, Maharashtra Dec 11, 6.3
1975 Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh Jan 19, 6.8
1988 Assam August 6, 7.0
1991 Uttarkashi, Uttranchal Oct 18, 7.5
2001 Bhuj, Gujarat, Jan 26. 7.9
Chronology of major earthquakes in the country
August 15, 1950: 1,538 killed in earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale in Assam.
August 20, 1988: More than 1000 killed in Bihar.
October 20, 1991: More than 1,000 killed and thousands injured as earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rocks Uttarkashi hills.
September 30, 1993: Around 10,000 killed and thousands injured in Latur and Osmanabad areas in a quake measuring 6 on the Richter scale.
May 22, 1997: 43 killed and over 1000 injured in Jabalpur.
April 23, 1999: More than 110 killed and over 300 injured as an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter rocks Chamoli, Rudraprayag and other hill areas of Uttaranchal.
