A
MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE ROCKS PAKISTAN MEASURING 8.1 ON THE RICHTER SCALE
HITS
REGION WITH EPICENTER IN AFGHANISTAN — 60KM FROM CHITRAL
26th October 2015
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| EARTHQUAKE ROCKS PAKISTAN |
Army chief orders relief measures
Epicenter
According to the US GeologicalSurvey, an earthquake with magnitude 7.5 occurred at 2.09pm (PST) on
Oct 26, 2015. It said the quake was 212.5 km deep and centred 82 km southeast
of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the HinduKush mountain range.
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| EARTHQUAKE ROCKS PAKISTAN |
The
Pakistan Metrological Department said the magnitude of the quake was 8.1.
US Geological Survey has issued a detailed report and some of the excerpts
are as follows
“On the
north-western side of the Tibetan Plateau, beneath the Pamir-Hindu Kush
Mountains of northern Afghanistan, earthquakes occur at depths as great as 200
km as a result of remnant lithospheric subduction. The curved arc of deep
earthquakes found in the Hindu Kush Pamir region indicates the presence of a
lithospheric body at depth, thought to be remnants of a subducting slab.
Cross-sections through the Hindu Kush region suggest a near vertical
northerly-dipping subducting slab, whereas cross-sections through the nearby
Pamir region to the east indicate a much shallower dipping, southerly
subducting slab. Some models suggest the presence of two subduction zones; with
the Indian plate being subducted beneath the Hindu Kush region and the Eurasian
plate being subducted beneath the Pamir region. However, other models suggest
that just one of the two plates is being subducted and that the slab has become
contorted and overturned in places.
Shallow crustal earthquakes also
occur in this region near the Main Pamir Thrust and other active Quaternary
faults. The Main Pamir Thrust, north of the Pamir Mountains, is an active
shortening structure. The northern portion of the Main Pamir Thrust produces
many shallow earthquakes, whereas its western and eastern borders display a
combination of thrust and strike-slip mechanisms. On the 18 February 1911, the
M7.4 Sarez earthquake ruptured in the Central Pamir Mountains, killing numerous
people and triggering a landside, which blocked the Murghab River.”
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