5 Major Earthquakes that shook Northeast India
Northeast India has had its share of earthquakes from mild, to moderate and to devastating ones. Northeast India which is an earthquake zone area has experienced many major earthquakes in the past years that has led to severe damage.
Here are 5 major earthquakes that shook the Northeast:
SHILLONG EARTHQUAKE 1897 ( Richter Scale- 8.7)
The great Assam Earthquake of 1897 with 8.7 magnitude is the largest known Indian intraplate earthquake. It raised the northern edge of the Shillong Plateau by more than 10 m, resulting in the destruction of structures over much of the plateau and surrounding areas and causing widespread liquefaction and flooding in the Brahmaputra and Sylhet floodplains.
ASSAM EARTHQUAKE 1950 (Richter Scale- 8.6)
The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake or Medog earthquake occurred on August 15, and had a magnitude of 8.6. The epicenter was located near Rima, Tibet. The earthquake was destructive in both Assam and Tibet, and between 1,500 and 3,300 people were killed.
CACHAR EARTHQUAKE 1869 (Richter scale– 7.5)
On January 1869, a large earthquake with a Richter scale of 7.5 struck in parts of lower Assam. The earthquake was distinctly felt from Patna in the west to northern Burma in the east; in the south it was felt up to locations south of Calcutta and Chittagong; in the north from Darjeeling to Dibrugarh.
SIKKIM EARTHQUAKE 2011 (Richter Scale- 6.9)
The 2011 Sikkim earthquake (also known as the 2011 Himalayan earthquake) occurred with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and was centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim. The earthquake was felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet. At least 111 people were killed in the earthquake.
MANIPUR EARTHQUAKE 2015( Richter Scale-6.7)
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the quake that hit Manipur has a magnitude of 6.7 Richter scale, 57 kilometres (35 miles) deep and struck 29 kilometres (18 miles) west of Imphal, the capital of Manipur on the border with Myanmar.
The intensity is the second highest after nearly 60 years, says Manichandra Sanoujam, the chief of Seismological Observatory of Manipur University.
