Case Study - 2005 Kashmir Earthquake
Himalayas
Kashmir, Northern India
severe earthquake
killed over 79,000 people
a high magnitude (MMS 7.6) earthquake
had a ground-shaking intensity of VII (severe)
the speed of onset was very rapid, so there was a limited chance of evacuating to a safe area
damage was centred on Muzaffarabad but spread over a large area of more than 1000 km2
ground shaking lasted 30–45 seconds (a short duration), but landslides triggered by the earthquake continued for some time
aftershocks up to magnitude MMS 6.4
earthquakes don't hit Kashmir often → the previous major earthquake in Kashmir was in 1905, so there wasn’t anyone to remember the risks and impacts of earthquakes in the region
spatial predictability was low → Kashmir is in a ‘seismic gap’, i.e. an area of known risk that had not experienced an earthquake for a long time
Himalayas
Kashmir, Northern India
severe earthquake
killed over 79,000 people
a high magnitude (MMS 7.6) earthquake
had a ground-shaking intensity of VII (severe)
the speed of onset was very rapid, so there was a limited chance of evacuating to a safe area
damage was centred on Muzaffarabad but spread over a large area of more than 1000 km2
ground shaking lasted 30–45 seconds (a short duration), but landslides triggered by the earthquake continued for some time
aftershocks up to magnitude MMS 6.4
earthquakes don't hit Kashmir often → the previous major earthquake in Kashmir was in 1905, so there wasn’t anyone to remember the risks and impacts of earthquakes in the region
spatial predictability was low → Kashmir is in a ‘seismic gap’, i.e. an area of known risk that had not experienced an earthquake for a long time
