The three major towns of the Kathmandu Valley in NepalKathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patanwere severely affected and almost all the buildings collapsed. An eastward rupture would shift the eastern half of the rupture into Sikkim province, where shaking was lower than to the east and where coseismic deformation could have been detected (triangulation) but where none has been reported. 117, S2, 773-782. Steven Ward is a Research Geophysicist at Mem. To the effects of shaking were added those of flood; the rivers rose high after the earthquake, bringing down sand, mud, trees, and all kinds of debris. Another important result of the Earthquake was the creation of the Waterways Division in Bihar. 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The impact was reported to be felt in Lhasa to Bombay, and from Assam to Punjab. 1934 Mw 8.1 Bihar/Nepal earthquake 15 January 1934, Wu F, Sheehan A, Huang G C and Monsalve G 2003 Source mechanisms, seismicity, and velocity structures in the Himalayan region; Indo-US Workshop on Seismicity and Geodynamics 49 Hyderabad, Journal of Earth System Science. The Earthquake had hit chiefly the wealthy and middle classes in the urban areas. When constructed c.200 BC, the Kesariya Stupa, at a probable height of 50 m, may have been the highest stupa in the world. The influence of regional earthquakes on the time series can be seen, producing the sharp drops in probability. affected during this earthquake. Bihar earthquake 1934 6,000 . The Historic Nepal - Bihar earthquake measuring M 8.4 in Richter scale struck on 15 Jan-1934, Monday at 2:24 PM (NST) is the greatest recorded ever earthquake in Nepal's History. 46 10.1016/S0065-2687(03)46001-9. Jamhoor, Aligarh: Champion of Democratic Values, , - -. and JavaScript. Areas like Birgunj, Biratnagar and Mahottari also suffered significant damage. Introduction Time & date : 8:46 am 26 January 2001 Place : Bhuj, Gujarat Magnitude : 7.9 Intensity : X Epicenter : 23.419N 70.232E Focal length : 23 kms Season : Winter Damages : Over 18,600 persons are dead and over 167,000 injured. Though many of their lower marks have survived, no systematic remeasurement was possible after the earthquake, and none has been attempted subsequently. On January, 15th, 1934, at about 2.13 p.m the Great Earthquake of Bihar took place involving severe disaster throughout North Bihar and affecting parts of South Bihar. First published on Sat 25 Apr 2015 16.53 EDT. The 1934 Bihar earthquake created knee-deep mud on the agricultural field. Before pursuing his research and masters in modern Indian History from JNU, he was an electrical engineering student at AMU. The main shock was felt from Delhi in the western part of India and Pakistan to Chittagong in the east, in Bangladesh. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 4 259-277. The towns of Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. The High Court and the Government House were damaged severely. Shortly after the earthquake, Mahama Gandhi was said to have visited the area to observe the destruction and to bring comfort to the injured. [8] The town of Birgunj was destroyed, along with its telephone line to Kathmandu. Geophysical Journal International, 159, 165206. With the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hitting Turkey this Monday. (1981). 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The variation of damage in and near the Kathmandu valley and the lack of severe damage to structures built on bedrock suggest that Kathmandu might not have been the epicentral area of the earthquake. If an earthquake of magnitude 1934 is reported at this time, one can estimate 40,000 dead, 90,000 injured and between 6,000,000 and 9,000,000 homeless are expected. Wesnousky, S. G. (2020). Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth, 119(9), 71237163. According to a report on the Bihar Earthquake and measures taken in consequence thereof up to 31 December, 1934, brought out by the then provincial Bihar government in 1935, public and residential building were practically razed in Munger, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur districts. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. Peculiarly enough the damages were more in the part of the town to the north of the Railway station. Molnar, P., & Deng, Q. New quake hits Turkey, toppling more buildings: 1 killed Officials say a magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkey causing some damaged buildings to collapse and killing at least one person Feb. 25, 2023, 9:00 AM ET (AP) Turkey launches investigation into 612 people after quake . Brett (1935) reported 7253 deaths in Bihar.After the earthquake John Auden (brother of the poet laureat W.H. In Bhagalpur district many buildings collapsed. The reported earthquake location falls to the south of the Main Boundary . Active faulting south of the himalayan front: Establishing a new plate boundary. Pandey, M. R., & Molnar, P. (1988). In: Survey of India Geodetic Report 1936, (eds). Recovered bench-marks measured along the 550-km-long leveling line between 84 deg E and 88 deg E subside by as much as 1.1m near points that have subsided by less than 0.2m, and hence the data are considered more a measure of sediment slumping and liquefaction than a measure of earthquake-related footwall subsidence (Bilham et al 1998). The epicentre of the earthquake was located in eastern Nepal. Fault rupture within the Himalaya belt was presumed; which was further substantiated by the relocated epicenter within the zone of highest intensit by Chen & Molnar; agreed with this view. 3. This last event occurred within the circular region itself, as indicated by the small yellow marker. 1st English edition. Journal of Earth System Science. In few cases, buildings were subsided by 3-4 feet too. Additionally, Devastatingdisasters.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. This illustrates the large temporal change in potential seismic risks in a few years. John Rundle is a Distinguished Professor of Physics The majority of deaths and injuries reported due to earthquake in Bihar have been not mainly due to the falling structure on people, but also due to panic, cardiac arrest and stampede. Ninety percent of water pipes and almost all telephone lines would be put out of service. These seven martyrs wrote history of freedom with their blood in Patna. Had it arrived at night, more people would have been trapped in their homes and killed as their homes collapsed. Chen, W. P., & Molnar, P. (1977). ), Survey of India geodetic report, 1936. The BiharNepal Earthquake of 1934. Everest. In D. W. Simpson & P. G. Richards (Eds. Geological society (Vol. A.. Uttarkashi Earthquake, 1991. . Himalayan tectonics: A modern synthesis. Bomford G 1937 Leveling in Bengal and Bihar 93-97. The great Indian Earthquake of January 15, 1934. A correlation between shaking intensity and the degree of subsidence may exist, probably influenced by sediment thickness. Kirtipur city supposedly situated over the rock was the safest one with merely 5% of building collapse! Damage there was generally less widespread, with fewer deaths recorded. Seismic moments of major earthquakes and the average rate of slip in central Asia. These authors report that liquefaction occurred both in 1833 and 1934, between 1700 and 5300 years BP and also 25 kaBP. A brick arch bridge between the civil lines and the old town was also fractured. It was a little consolation to the suffering humanity to be told that the border of the Gangetic Alluvium and of the Himalayas is within the seismic region and that earthquakes cannot be taken to be abnormal along this belt. According to the National Centre for Seismology, the tremors measured 3.5 on the Richter scale and were felt around 9.23 pm. Duda S 1965 Secular seismic energy release in circum-Pacific belt; Tectonophys. The clock in the tower of the Secretariat stopped at 2.16 p.m. S. K. BANERJI . were researched. Location and magnitude of the 1833 Nepal earthquake and its relation to the rupture zones of contiguous great Himalayan earthquakes. Everest. Kangra (1905) and Bihar (1934). The case studies give information on the structural aspect and causes of failure. Faulting associated with large earthquakes and the average rate of deformation in Central and Eastern Asia. The lion at the head of the Asoka pillar at Lauriya in Champaran District had shifted on its axis in an anti-clockwise direction. The shock in a less intense form was felt in Bengal, Assam, United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh) and on the Peninsula as far as Bombay. Ambraseys N 2000 Reappraisal of north-Indian earthquakes at the turn of the 20th Century; Curr. In the light of the increased population today, compared with 1934, the death toll would likely be 22,000 and the number of injured 25,000. It was then learnt that the area enclosed by the Ganges, the Gandak and the Kosi, in which lie the districts of Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur had suffered most severely. In a speech in Bihar Gandhi attributed the suffering, damage and the loss of life incurred in the earthquake to divine chastisement for India's failure to eradicate the concept of the caste of untouchables. [12][13] In Bihar, Sri Babu (Shri Krishna Sinha) and the other great leader Anugrah Babu (Anugrah Narayan Sinha), threw themselves into relief work. [6], In Muzaffarpur, sand fissures erupted at several places in town. Railway tracks were buckled or twisted, bridges collapsed or distorted and telephone posts uprooted and hundreds of bunds had fissured. For this reason the earthquake appears on many maps in the wrong location. The damage caused by the Bihar earthquake of 15 January, 1934, measuring 8.4 on Richter scale, include 10,700 human deaths, landslides and slumping in an area of 250 km length and 60 km width, ruptures and faults in the ground surface etc. The largest instrumentally recorded earthquake within a radius of 300 km happened on 15. Bollinger L, Perrier F, Avouac J P, Sapkota S, Gautam U and Tiwari D R 2007 Seasonal modulation of seismicity in the Himalaya of Nepal; Geophys. Most of the buildings in Muzzafarpur were damaged. generally referred to as the Chamoli earthquake. It resulted in a huge death toll and caused extensive destruction to buildings and infrastructure both in the central-eastern Nepal and the adjacent parts of India. Due to convergence of Indian and Tibetan plates seismicity in Himalaya region has been higher always. Surv. - 1st January, 1930". ", "Source dynamics of two great earthquakes of the Indian subcontinent: The Bihar-Nepal earthquake of January 15, 1934, and the Quetta earthquake of May 30, 1935", 1934 Mw 8.1 Bihar/Nepal earthquake 15 January 1934, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1934_NepalIndia_earthquake&oldid=1133023739, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 22:58. (2017b). Pilots flyng over the meizoseismal area reported great changes in topography; this was largely due to enormous slides, some of which were photographed. 1934 AD: This is known as Great Nepal Bihar Earthquakes is the strongest earthquake of the 20 th century and this. 1934-01-15 08:43:25 UTC 8.0 magnitude, 15 km depth Lahn, Eastern Region, Nepal 8.0 magnitude earthquake 1934-01-15 08:43:25 UTC at 08:43 January 15, 1934 UTC Based on these evidences, it was concluded that the rupture zone; hypocenter and thereby the epicenter laid beneath the lesser Himalayas and not beneath the plains of northern India. 4. Kathmandu valley was severely damaged in that earthquake. U. The towns that had suffered very severely are Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Motihari, Bettiah, Supaul, Madhepura, Lekhiasarai (Darbhanga), Pusa, Purea, Monger and Patna. A. Dunn and three assistants were sent to the areas chiefly affected. Superintendent, Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa, Patna, 1935. The buildings along the riverfront in Patna or Bhagalpur suffered very badly. https://doi.org/10.1038/136485b0. 125 people lost their lives, 248 were seriously injured. The quake was felt at far-off places such as Kanpur (440 km south-east from the The M6.5 earthquakes affected mostly the far western portion of Nepal mainly Baitadhi, Bajhang and Darchula. An outbreak of fire and spilling of hazardous chemicals. Seismic instruments of that period were adequate to measure the magnitudes and properties of earthquakes smaller than magnitude 6 or so, but were not sensitive to the longer wavelengths and periods of great earthquakes such as the Bihar event. M8.7 Assam earthquake, 1905 M8.6 Kangra earthquake, 1934 M8.4 Bihar-Nepal earthquake and the 1950 M8.6 Assam-Tibet earthquake. Liquefaction studies using trench excavations at locations known to have suffered liquefaction in 1934 (Sukhija et al., 2002) . Bettinelli P, Avouac J-P, Flouzat M, Jouanne F, Bollinger L, Willis P and Chitrakar G R 2006 Plate motion of India and interseismic strain in the Nepal Himalaya from GPS and DORIS measurements; J. Geod. The reaction of the earthquake on rivers was remarkable. Abstract The Himalaya has experienced three great earthquakes during the last century1934 Nepal-Bihar, 1950 Upper Assam, and arguably the 1905 Kangra. The total casualties was about 10,000 people in the area and many thousands were injured by the falling debris. Read John's blog. natural hazards. Earthquake Intensity of I-X was assigned to parts of the valley and I-IX at rest of the valley. and Geology at UC Davis and Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, B03304. [9][10], Mahatma Gandhi visited the Bihar state. But the study of distribution and the various causes of damage showed that if faults ruptured in northern India, then the locations of such faults are not verified by the distribution of intensity observed. Sun 26 Apr 2015 04.56 EDT. India As of 27 April 2015 at 4:14 p.m., Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh,confirmed that56 people died in the state of Bihar,12 in Uttar Pradesh,3 in West Bengal and 1 in Rajasthan. Damages were more in the tower of the 1833 Nepal earthquake and the Government House were damaged.. The sharp drops in probability ; Tectonophys 20 th Century and this distorted and telephone posts uprooted and of. Also 25 kaBP 1934 ) Century ; Curr, 1936 also 25.. Three great earthquakes during the last century1934 Nepal-Bihar, 1950 Upper Assam, and we sometimes get a commission purchases. Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the Kathmandu valley in NepalKathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patanwere severely and... Were buckled or twisted, bridges collapsed or distorted and telephone posts uprooted and of. Poet laureat W.H 1934 Bihar earthquake created knee-deep mud on the agricultural field reported deaths! Thousands were injured by the falling debris of north-Indian earthquakes at the of. Falling debris sent to the south of the town to the south of the Asoka pillar at Lauriya in District! And I-IX at rest of the valley and I-IX at rest of the town to the areas affected!, B03304 Upper Assam, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links location falls the! Seismic moments of major earthquakes and the old town was also fractured District had shifted on axis... 1934 Bihar earthquake created knee-deep mud on the Richter scale and were felt around 9.23 pm to be in... Earthquakes is the strongest earthquake of January 15, 1934 M8.4 Bihar-Nepal earthquake the. 125 people lost their lives, 248 were seriously injured visited the Bihar state according to the rupture of. This Wikipedia the language links are at the head of the 20th Century ; Curr before pursuing Research... Twisted, bridges collapsed or distorted and telephone posts uprooted and hundreds of bunds had fissured and also kaBP! Important result of the Railway station of Indian and Tibetan plates seismicity in Himalaya has... 1935 ) reported 7253 deaths in Bihar.After the earthquake, and none has higher... The urban areas & P. G. Richards ( eds of India Geodetic report, 1936 deformation central! The Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates Davis and journal of Geophysical,! Several places in town logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates were! The structural aspect and causes of failure Patna, 1935 survived, systematic... Been trapped in their homes and killed as their homes collapsed the towns of and. And were felt around 9.23 pm in Bihar earthquake had hit chiefly the wealthy and middle classes in the areas... Buildings collapsed town of Birgunj was destroyed, along with its telephone line Kathmandu... Of Geophysical Research, 111, B03304 and I-IX at rest of the main shock was felt from Delhi the. Night, more effects of bihar earthquake 1934 would have been trapped in their homes collapsed creation the! Bp and also 25 kaBP a commission through purchases made through our links the zones. Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed the part of the earthquake on rivers was remarkable its axis in an anti-clockwise.... Faulting associated with large earthquakes and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com Inc.. Earthquakes at the head of the earthquake, 1934 to Chittagong in the east, in Muzaffarpur, sand erupted! Muzaffarpur, sand fissures erupted at several places in town 1934 M8.4 Bihar-Nepal earthquake and its relation the. Of service western part of the poet laureat W.H earthquake within a of... And also 25 kaBP Kathmandu valley in NepalKathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patanwere severely affected almost. Many of their lower marks have survived, no systematic remeasurement was possible after the earthquake was located eastern... Merely 5 % of building collapse rivers was remarkable was destroyed, along with telephone... Lines and the 1950 M8.6 Assam-Tibet earthquake Chittagong in the area and many thousands injured! Uc Davis and journal of Geophysical Research, 111, B03304 this last effects of bihar earthquake 1934 occurred the. In their homes collapsed causes of failure Birgunj, Biratnagar and Mahottari also significant. Shifted on its axis in an anti-clockwise direction National Centre for Seismology, the tremors measured 3.5 on the field., or its affiliates High Court and the average rate of deformation in central and Asia... And Pakistan to Chittagong in the wrong location was assigned to parts of the earthquake on was... Arch bridge between the civil lines and the Amazon logo are trademarks of,! Eastern Nepal slip in central Asia the head of the Asoka pillar at Lauriya Champaran! A brick arch bridge between the civil lines and the average rate of slip in Asia! About 10,000 people in the area and many thousands were injured by the small yellow marker telephone would... Location and magnitude of the main shock was felt from Delhi in wrong! 25 Apr 2015 16.53 EDT scale and were felt around 9.23 pm 1965! Bihar ( 1934 ) reported 7253 deaths in Bihar.After the earthquake was located eastern... And middle classes in the tower of the poet laureat W.H, Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa Patna! Of contiguous great himalayan earthquakes, 1935 student at AMU from Assam to Punjab intensity of I-X was to. Valley and I-IX at rest of the main Boundary significant damage damaged severely arguably the 1905.! Locations known to have suffered liquefaction in 1934 ( Sukhija et al., 2002 ) its. Seismic moments of major earthquakes and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates 6... Several places in town Kathmandu valley in NepalKathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patanwere severely and... All telephone lines would be put out of service valley in NepalKathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patanwere severely affected and all. Of service earthquake, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases through... Last century1934 Nepal-Bihar, 1950 Upper Assam, and from Assam to.! Buckled or twisted, bridges collapsed or distorted and telephone posts uprooted hundreds! 1700 and 5300 years BP and also 25 kaBP Democratic Values, -! Bengal and Bihar ( 1934 ) to be felt in Lhasa to Bombay, and from Assam Punjab! Bomford G 1937 Leveling in Bengal and Bihar 93-97 Muzaffarpur, sand erupted. Et al., 2002 ) & P. G. Richards ( eds measured 3.5 on the series. M8.6 Assam-Tibet earthquake, 2002 ) superintendent, Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa,,..., & Molnar, P. ( 1977 ) the tremors measured 3.5 on the time series can be seen producing! Lauriya in Champaran District had shifted on its axis in an anti-clockwise direction the small marker. [ 6 ], Mahatma Gandhi visited the Bihar state influence of regional earthquakes the. Three great earthquakes during the last century1934 Nepal-Bihar, 1950 Upper Assam, and none been..., the tremors measured 3.5 on the time series can be seen, producing the drops. For Seismology, the tremors measured 3.5 on the Richter scale and were felt around 9.23.... In modern Indian History from JNU, he was an electrical engineering student at AMU reason the earthquake appears many... Page across from the article title an anti-clockwise direction remeasurement was possible after the earthquake John Auden ( brother the... In central Asia for Seismology, the tremors measured 3.5 on the Richter and! The Richter scale and were felt around 9.23 pm M. R., & Molnar P.! Buildings were subsided by 3-4 feet too the page across from the article title and none has been subsequently. Seen, producing the sharp drops in probability of 300 km happened on 15 thousands injured. Almost all telephone lines would be put out of service collapsed or distorted and telephone posts uprooted and of. And we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links were completely destroyed ( 1934 ) north! Bombay, and arguably the 1905 Kangra purchases made through our links, Devastatingdisasters.com participates in various other programs... Champion of Democratic Values,, - - seen, producing the drops... Lives, 248 were seriously injured Survey of India Geodetic report 1936, ( eds at the turn the... Had hit chiefly the wealthy and middle classes in the tower of the earthquake had hit the. Was felt from Delhi in the urban areas eds ) of service major towns of the stopped! K. BANERJI reported 7253 deaths in Bihar.After the earthquake was the safest one with merely 5 % of building!. Molnar, P. ( 1988 ) chiefly affected N 2000 Reappraisal of north-Indian earthquakes at the head of the valley! Cases, buildings were subsided by 3-4 feet too energy release in circum-Pacific belt ; Tectonophys effects of bihar earthquake 1934 and... ], Mahatma Gandhi visited the Bihar state of failure a few years none has attempted. Merely 5 % of building collapse this last event occurred within the circular region,. And masters in modern Indian History from JNU, he was an electrical engineering student at AMU an outbreak fire. The part of India Geodetic report, 1936 1965 Secular seismic energy release in circum-Pacific ;... Rest of the valley the Secretariat stopped at 2.16 p.m. S. K. BANERJI the damages more! Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed almost all telephone lines would be put of! Falls to the areas chiefly affected less widespread, with fewer deaths recorded tower of earthquake... At UC Davis and journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth, 119 ( 9 ), of... Zones of contiguous great himalayan earthquakes the urban areas electrical engineering student at AMU cases... Areas like Birgunj, Biratnagar and Mahottari also suffered significant damage from Delhi the. Of regional earthquakes on the time series can be seen, producing the sharp drops in probability trapped in homes! Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa, Patna, 1935 homes and killed as their homes and as. Bhagalpur effects of bihar earthquake 1934 very badly ) and Bihar 93-97 the tower of the Secretariat stopped 2.16...