2016 Imphal earthquake
  | |
| UTC time | 2016-01-03 23:05:22 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 612140990 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 4 January 2016 |
| Local time | 4:35 a.m IST (UTC+5) |
| Magnitude | 6.7 Mw |
| Depth | 55.0 km (34.2 mi) |
| Epicenter | 24°50′02″N 93°39′22″E / 24.834°N 93.656°E |
| Areas affected | Bangladesh India Myanmar Nepal |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) |
| Casualties | 11 dead[1] ~200 injured |
The 2016 Imphal Earthquake occurred on 4 January 2016 at 4:35 a.m. local time (23:05 UTC, 3 January)[2] in Manipur, that had a magnitude of 6.7 Mw.[3] The seismic wave radius travelled over 200km and shaking was felt in numerous cities, including Imphal, Silchar and Guwahati.[2]
Article body
[edit]Earthquake Details
The Mw6.7 earthquake was likely caused by a strike slip fault in a plate boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plate along the Southern Asian region. The focal mechanism that resulted in the earthquake was the 48mm/yr Indian plate that strikes the Eurasian plate on a northeastern direction.[2] The depth of the epicenter of the earthquake was determined to be 55km by the USGS. A subsequent Mw6.9 earthquake also occurred on 14 April 2016 which was at a 134km focal point and 240km southeast of the Mw6.7 Imphal earthquake.[4] Just like the Imphal earthquake, the later earthquake was caused by a reverse dextral fault. From this it can be deduced that there was an intraplate convergence where a slab subducted beneath another between the Indian and Eurasian plates.[4]
While the earthquake was a significant event, moderate-to-large earthquakes in this region are fairly common in the past, although this was the largest earthquake to hit the state of Manipur since 1957[5]. 20 earthquakes have occurred within 250 km of the 2016 event in the past 100 years. The largest was a 8.0 magnitude earthquake in 1946, 220 km to the southeast of the 2016 earthquake on the Sagaing Fault. Other significant events less than 200km away from Imphal earthquake include a M 7.3 earthquake in August 1988, which caused several fatalities and dozens of injuries, and another M 6.0 earthquake in December 1984 that caused 20 fatalities and 100 injuries.[2]
Damage
[edit]At least 11 people were killed, 6 in India and 5 in Bangladesh, and 200 others were injured and numerous buildings were damaged.[1] In rural areas many buildings were damaged, walls of houses in areas like Kabuikhullen village appeared to be detached from the main frame, while some foundations shifted by 33cm from its original position.[6] In Imphal city the damage was restricted to buildings on the riverbank, such as the three women's markets, or on other marshy terrain, such as the Central Agricultural University,[7] and additionally a newly built 6 stories high-rise collapsed.[8] The damage in Imphal was mostly attributed to poor, non-earthquake resistant construction.[7]
Response
[edit]In the immediate aftermath of the event, government response efforts were critiqued, with some volunteer responders claiming that government teams were either absent or under-supplied.[1] Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was in contact with local authorities about the earthquake aftermath.[8]
| Country | Deaths | Injuries | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
 India
|
6 | 200 | [1] |
 Bangladesh
|
5 | ||
| Total | 11 | 200 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Das, Biswajyoti (4 January 2016). "Quake strikes northeast India, Bangladesh; 11 dead, nearly 200 hurt". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ a b c d "M 6.7-6.9km W of Imphal, India". earthquake.usgs.gov. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Gahalaut, V. K., & Kundu, B. (2016). The 4 January 2016 Manipur earthquake in the Indo-Burmese wedge, an intra-slab event. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 7(5), 1506–1512. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2016.1179686
- ^ a b Gahalaut, V. K.; Martin, Stacey S.; Srinagesh, D.; Kapil, S. L.; Suresh, G.; Saikia, Saurav; Kumar, Vikas; Dadhich, Harendra; Patel, Aqeel; Prajapati, Sanjay K.; Shukla, H. P.; Gautam, J. L.; Baidya, P. R.; Mandal, Saroj; Jain, Ashish (12 October 2016). "Seismological, geodetic, macroseismic and historical context of the 2016 Mw 6.7 Tamenglong (Manipur) India earthquake". Tectonophysics. 688: 36–48. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2016.09.017. ISSN 0040-1951.
- ^ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Quake strikes northeast India, Bangladesh; 11 dead, some 200 hurt". news.trust.org. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "M6.7 – 29 km W of Imphal, India". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ a b Gahalaut, V. K.; Martin, Stacey S.; Srinagesh, D.; Kapil, S. L.; Suresh, G.; Saikia, Saurav; Kumar, Vikas; Dadhich, Harendra; Patel, Aqeel; Prajapati, Sanjay K.; Shukla, H. P.; Gautam, J. L.; Baidya, P. R.; Mandal, Saroj; Jain, Ashish (12 October 2016). "Seismological, geodetic, macroseismic and historical context of the 2016 Mw 6.7 Tamenglong (Manipur) India earthquake". Tectonophysics. 688: 36–48. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2016.09.017. ISSN 0040-1951.
- ^ a b "Earthquake hits India's Manipur state". BBC News. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
External links
[edit]- Recent Earthquakes Near Manipur, India
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
