PLANETARY TREMORS: Very Strong 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan - Strong Tremors Felt In India And Pakistan Capitals! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

USGS earthquake location.

April 10, 2016 - AFGHANISTAN - A powerful earthquake has struck the border area between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, with tremors felt in Delhi and Islamabad.

The quake was intially measured at magnitude-6.6 and depth 210km by the USGS, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Reports from across South Asia described buildings swaying for more than a minute with tremors felt in the Pakistani city of Lahore some 630km from the epicentre.

Pakistani official Arif Ullah said the magnitude-7.1 quake was centered near Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan. Germany's GFZ Research Center for Geosciences set the quake's magnitude at 6.5.

USGS shakemap intensity.

Tremors were also felt in the Indian capital and in Kashmir, witnesses said, with some people working in high-rise buildings in the Indian capital rushing into the streets. The Delhi underground system was also halted briefly, commuters told the NDTV channel.

In Kabul, Omar Mohammadi, a spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said officials were collecting information but no reports of casualties or damage had been received so far. - Independent.

Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity

Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.

The India-Eurasia plate boundary is a diffuse boundary, which in the region near the north of India, lies within the limits of the Indus-Tsangpo (also called the Yarlung-Zangbo) Suture to the north and the Main Frontal Thrust to the south. The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is located roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. The narrow (less than 200km) Himalaya Front includes numerous east-west trending, parallel structures. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults. Examples of significant earthquakes, in this densely populated region, caused by reverse slip movement include the 1934 M8.1 Bihar, the 1905 M7.5 Kangra and the 2005 M7.6 Kashmir earthquakes. The latter two resulted in the highest death tolls for Himalaya earthquakes seen to date, together killing over 100,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The largest instrumentally recorded Himalaya earthquake occurred on 15th August 1950 in Assam, eastern India. This M8.6 right-lateral, strike-slip, earthquake was widely felt over a broad area of central Asia, causing extensive damage to villages in the epicentral region.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

The Tibetan Plateau is situated north of the Himalaya, stretching approximately 1000km north-south and 2500km east-west, and is geologically and tectonically complex with several sutures which are hundreds of kilometer-long and generally trend east-west. The Tibetan Plateau is cut by a number of large (greater than 1000km) east-west trending, left-lateral, strike-slip faults, including the long Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh. Right-lateral, strike-slip faults (comparable in size to the left-lateral faults), in this region include the Karakorum, Red River, and Sagaing. Secondary north-south trending normal faults also cut the Tibetan Plateau. Thrust faults are found towards the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau. Collectively, these faults accommodate crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates, with thrust faults accommodating north south compression, and normal and strike-slip accommodating east-west extension.

Along the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the vicinity of south-eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the India plate translates obliquely relative to the Eurasia plate, resulting in a complex fold-and-thrust belt known as the Sulaiman Range. Faulting in this region includes strike-slip, reverse-slip and oblique-slip motion and often results in shallow, destructive earthquakes. The active, left-lateral, strike-slip Chaman fault is the fastest moving fault in the region. In 1505, a segment of the Chaman fault near Kabul, Afghanistan, ruptured causing widespread destruction. In the same region the more recent 30 May 1935, M7.6 Quetta earthquake, which occurred in the Sulaiman Range in Pakistan, killed between 30,000 and 60,000 people.

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.

Further north, the Tian Shan is a seismically active intra-continental mountain belt, which extends 2500 km in an ENE-WNW orientation north of the Tarim Basin. This belt is defined by numerous east-west trending thrust faults, creating a compressional basin and range landscape. It is generally thought that regional stresses associated with the collision of the India and Eurasia plates are responsible for faulting in the region. The region has had three major earthquakes (greater than M7.6) at the start of the 20th Century, including the 1902 Atushi earthquake, which killed an estimated 5,000 people. The range is cut through in the west by the 700-km-long, northwest-southeast striking, Talas-Ferghana active right-lateral, strike-slip fault system. Though the system has produced no major earthquakes in the last 250 years, paleo-seismic studies indicate that it has the potential to produce M7.0+ earthquakes and it is thought to represent a significant hazard.

The northern portion of the Tibetan Plateau itself is largely dominated by the motion on three large left-lateral, strike-slip fault systems; the Altyn Tagh, Kunlun and Haiyuan. The Altyn Tagh fault is the longest of these strike slip faults and it is thought to accommodate a significant portion of plate convergence. However, this system has not experienced significant historical earthquakes, though paleoseismic studies show evidence of prehistoric M7.0-8.0 events. Thrust faults link with the Altyn Tagh at its eastern and western termini. The Kunlun Fault, south of the Altyn Tagh, is seismically active, producing large earthquakes such as the 8th November 1997, M7.6 Manyi earthquake and the 14th November 2001, M7.8 Kokoxili earthquake. The Haiyuan Fault, in the far north-east, generated the 16 December 1920, M7.8 earthquake that killed approximately 200,000 people and the 22 May 1927 M7.6 earthquake that killed 40,912.

The Longmen Shan thrust belt, along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is an important structural feature and forms a transitional zone between the complexly deformed Songpan-Garze Fold Belt and the relatively undeformed Sichuan Basin. On 12 May 2008, the thrust belt produced the reverse slip, M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, killing over 87,000 people and causing billions of US dollars in damages and landslides which dammed several rivers and lakes.

Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau are the right-lateral, strike-slip Red River and the left-lateral, strike-slip Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang fault systems. The Red River Fault experienced large scale, left-lateral ductile shear during the Tertiary period before changing to its present day right-lateral slip rate of approximately 5 mm/yr. This fault has produced several earthquakes greater than M6.0 including the 4 January 1970, M7.5 earthquake in Tonghai which killed over 10,000 people. Since the start of the 20th century, the Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system has generated several M7.0+ earthquakes including the M7.5 Luhuo earthquake which ruptured on the 22 April 1973. Some studies suggest that due to the high slip rate on this fault, future large earthquakes are highly possible along the 65km stretch between Daofu and Qianning and the 135km stretch that runs through Kangding.

Shallow earthquakes within the Indo-Burmese Arc, predominantly occur on a combination of strike-slip and reverse faults, including the Sagaing, Kabaw and Dauki faults. Between 1930 and 1956, six M7.0+ earthquakes occurred near the right-lateral Sagaing Fault, resulting in severe damage in Myanmar including the generation of landslides, liquefaction and the loss of 610 lives. Deep earthquakes (200km) have also been known to occur in this region, these are thought to be due to the subduction of the eastwards dipping, India plate, though whether subduction is currently active is debated. Within the pre-instrumental period, the large Shillong earthquake occurred on the 12 June 1897, causing widespread destruction. - USGS.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Disaster Precursors - 6 Injured After Leopard Strays Into Bangalore, India; And Jackals Attack At Least 150 People Over 3 Months In Kashmir, India?! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

© Ruptly / YouTube

February 9, 2016 - INDIA - The following constitutes the latest reports of animal attacks on humans.

6 injured after leopard strays into Bangalore school, attacks staff

Shocking video from the Indian city of Bangalore shows a wild leopard attacking its captors after straying on to the grounds of a school.

The Forest Department was called out to tranquilize and remove the wild animal after security noticed a male leopard wandering the halls of Vibgyor High in the suburb of Marathahalli on Sunday, the Hindu Times reports.

After shooting the eight-year-old leopard with a tranquilizer dart, but before the effects kicked in, things took a violent turn as the leopard attacked those trying to remove it to safety.

One man involved, wildlife conservationist Sanjay Gubbi, can be seen trying to escape over a metal railing, but the leopard jumps up and pulls him to the ground.

via GIPHY

As Gubbi tries to get away a second time, he trips and the leopard pounces on him, biting his arm.

via GIPHY

When the drugs eventually took full effect, the leopard, which is thought to have wandered from a nearby forest, collapsed and was removed to a local rescue center for treatment and observation.

It's not the first leopard to cause some drama among its human counterparts.

One man dubbed the ‘Indian Bear Grylls’ was either brave or stupid when he tried to battle a leopard in Indore, India with a stick in April 2015.


WATCH: 'Indian Bear Grylls' battles leopard with stick, saved by sniper stone throw.

These villagers in the west Indian village of Ballarpur in Maharashtra also felt the wrath of the angered feline after he had been trapped inside a building.


WATCH: Indian villagers corner leopard, big cat strikes back.

- RT.

Jackals attack at least 150 people over 3 months in Kashmir, India

Indian Golden Jackal.
© DavidA99/flickr

Despite injuring several people and devouring livestock and poultry during past two months here in North Kashmir's Kupwara district, Wildlife department authorities have failed to check jackals from roaming in residential areas.

During the past two months, jackals have injured at least 50 persons in Tikipora, Sogam, Diver and adjoining areas. In the latest attack a pack of jackals mauled 3-year-old Moheeb and 4- year-old Ayan Zahoor at Lone Mohalla Sogam.

In a similar case attack Aasia Jan (12) and her 8-year-old brother Shabir Ahmad of Tikipora were brutally injured outside their house."The population of jackals in our area has swelled tremendously and they are on a rampage in human habitations," said Munawar Ahmad Khan of Diver. He added that large packs of jackals have been prowling in areas including Margi, Tikipora, Andurbug, Diver, Thandoosa, Lalpora, Dorsa, Chandigam, Sogam, Gundmanchar, Kuligam, Maidanpora, Cheepora, Kandhar, Shalagund, Nard, Sivan, Khurhama, Sivar and Sivan, and attack whatever comes their way.

"Five of my sheep were devoured by a pack of jackals last week at Sogam in broad day light," said Ghulam Muhammad Chopan. "Jackals can act as reservoirs and carriers of Rabies. When any persons or domestic animal comes in contact with them, they should immediately be vaccinated," said A R Wani, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer Kupwara.

Dr Firdous Ahmad BMO Sogam said that during the past three months they have received over 100 cases of jackal attacks in Lolab. Some of the persons were badly injured, he added.

Wildlife warden North Kashmir, Muhammad Maqbool Baba said, "There is no need to panic as Jackal is not a powerful animal like a bear or leopard. They attack people only in self defense. Locals should take care of them on their own and avoid direct contact with jackals." "We have shortage of staff in Kupwara, and a few officials with mere cages cannot control the wild animals from entering residential areas due to shortage of food in forests," he added. - RSOE EDIS.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVALS: Massive Himalayan Avalanche - 10 Indian Soldiers Feared Dead!

The Siachen Glacier, which traverses the Himalayan region dividing India and Pakistan, about 750 km (469 miles) northwest of Jammu, India, is seen in 2005. An
avalanche hit the Siachen Glacier in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir early Wednesday, trapping 10 Indian army soldiers in the snow.© AP

February 5, 2016 - KASHMIR - Officials say 10 Indian soldiers are feared dead after an avalanche hit a military post on the Siachen Glacier in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers on Twitter Thursday night.

The avalanche hit the military post on Wednesday in the northern part of the glacier, trapping the soldiers under a mass of snow.

Since then, army and air force teams have been searching for the soldiers, army spokesman Col. S.D. Goswami said. He said the chances of finding survivors are "very remote."

The army is yet to retrieve their bodies.

Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both.

The two nations also dispute their undemarcated border through the Siachen Glacier at an elevation of nearly 19,000 feet (5,800 meters).

Thousands of Indian and Pakistani troops are stationed in the freezing Himalayan terrain, where more troops have died from the grueling conditions than from hostile fire.

Last month, four Indian soldiers on foot patrol were killed by an avalanche in the same region.

In 2012, an avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled part of the glacier killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers.

The two countries have discussed ways to demilitarize the Siachen Glacier, without success. - The Japan Times.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Major Global Seismic Uptick - 34 Earthquakes Recorded In 2015 For Jammu And Kashmir, India!

January 5, 2016 - INDIA - Govt "ill-prepared" to deal with disasters

Jammu and Kashmir has recorded 34 earth quakes in 2015 which has brought to limelight the state"s vulnerabilities to natural disasters.

According to the Indian metrological department, most parts of Kashmir covering the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag and parts of Jammu region, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V and are prone to earthquakes. While the rest part of the state comes under Seismic Zone IV.

In 2015, the frequent earth quakes some were measured above 7 magnitude on the Richter scale has proved that J&K is prone to earthquakes and there is a dire need of having well equipped agencies to deal with natural disasters.

According to the official figures of J&K meteorological department, 34 earthquakes hit J&K in 2015. Tremors were felt twice in February last while eight earth quakes were reported in March. Tremors jolted the state four times in April including a powerful earth quake on April 25 measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale. Tremors were felt twice and once in the month of May and June respectively. In July, the state recorded four earthquakes although of low intensity. Mild to moderate tremors were felt twice and thrice in the month of August and September respectively.

In October, two earth quakes were recorded including a powerful one on October 26 of 7.5 magnitude in which three people lost their lives and caused damage to scores of houses across the state. The figures reveal, earth quakes were recorded thrice in the month of November. In December also, tremors jolted J&K thrice including a power earthquake on 26 midnight of the month measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale in which two people died due to heart attack.

In this month too, the J&K was jolted by an earthquake on January 2 of magnitude 5.8. The frequent earth quakes have been scaring the people while government seems not interesting in taking measures how to deal with such disasters.

According to Director Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus, the frequent earth quakes in 2015 have proved that people and the government should be well prepared in dealing with such incidents.

Professor Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, who teaches Earth Sciences at Kashmir University says J&K falls in the seismic zone of IV and V and people should be well prepared to deal with such eventualities. "We can"t predict the timing, magnitude and place of an earthquake but we should be well prepared in dealing with any such natural disaster," Romshoo said. "There happens earthquake every day in Japan but they are well prepared and build earthquake resistant houses which we lack in the state."

He said the Earth Sciences department of Kashmir University with other institutes would soon carry out a programme to assess the vulnerability of Srinagar city to earthquakes.

In backdrop of repeated earthquakes in 2013 in Kishtwar district, an expert team headed by former vice-chancellor of Kashmir University Professor Talat Ahmad found that majority of the offices and schools were not in a position to resist the earth quake and could face damages due such tremors.

The expert team had told the government that buildings which are being constructed in the state are poorly designed and are highly vulnerable to earthquake.

In July this year, the state Cabinet approved state"s first-ever disaster management plan. The government had said the plan is aimed at reducing the state"s vulnerability to hazards and enhance human and institutional capabilities to cope with disasters and natural calamities in a more effective manner.

Sources said despite having passed five months, there has been no progress in implementation of the disaster management plan.

"No work has been started for its implementation and it has been confined to papers," an official of Revenue and Rehabilitation department said. "It shows the non-seriousness of the government in dealing with natural disasters."

Two battalions of auxiliary forces were converted into State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in 2012. However, the SDRF is still ill-equipped and its forces are not in a position to deal with any emergency at the time of any natural calamity. Its men have also been assigned other duties like security.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Samoon admitted that SDRF lacks equipment and proper training to deal with natural calamities. He said the government was considering how to strengthen the SDRF in the state. - The North Lines.

Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity

Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.

The India-Eurasia plate boundary is a diffuse boundary, which in the region near the north of India, lies within the limits of the Indus-Tsangpo (also called the Yarlung-Zangbo) Suture to the north and the Main Frontal Thrust to the south. The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is located roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. The narrow (less than 200km) Himalaya Front includes numerous east-west trending, parallel structures. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults. Examples of significant earthquakes, in this densely populated region, caused by reverse slip movement include the 1934 M8.1 Bihar, the 1905 M7.5 Kangra and the 2005 M7.6 Kashmir earthquakes. The latter two resulted in the highest death tolls for Himalaya earthquakes seen to date, together killing over 100,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The largest instrumentally recorded Himalaya earthquake occurred on 15th August 1950 in Assam, eastern India. This M8.6 right-lateral, strike-slip, earthquake was widely felt over a broad area of central Asia, causing extensive damage to villages in the epicentral region.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

The Tibetan Plateau is situated north of the Himalaya, stretching approximately 1000km north-south and 2500km east-west, and is geologically and tectonically complex with several sutures which are hundreds of kilometer-long and generally trend east-west. The Tibetan Plateau is cut by a number of large (greater than 1000km) east-west trending, left-lateral, strike-slip faults, including the long Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh. Right-lateral, strike-slip faults (comparable in size to the left-lateral faults), in this region include the Karakorum, Red River, and Sagaing. Secondary north-south trending normal faults also cut the Tibetan Plateau. Thrust faults are found towards the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau. Collectively, these faults accommodate crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates, with thrust faults accommodating north south compression, and normal and strike-slip accommodating east-west extension.

Along the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the vicinity of south-eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the India plate translates obliquely relative to the Eurasia plate, resulting in a complex fold-and-thrust belt known as the Sulaiman Range. Faulting in this region includes strike-slip, reverse-slip and oblique-slip motion and often results in shallow, destructive earthquakes. The active, left-lateral, strike-slip Chaman fault is the fastest moving fault in the region. In 1505, a segment of the Chaman fault near Kabul, Afghanistan, ruptured causing widespread destruction. In the same region the more recent 30 May 1935, M7.6 Quetta earthquake, which occurred in the Sulaiman Range in Pakistan, killed between 30,000 and 60,000 people.

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.

Further north, the Tian Shan is a seismically active intra-continental mountain belt, which extends 2500 km in an ENE-WNW orientation north of the Tarim Basin. This belt is defined by numerous east-west trending thrust faults, creating a compressional basin and range landscape. It is generally thought that regional stresses associated with the collision of the India and Eurasia plates are responsible for faulting in the region. The region has had three major earthquakes (greater than M7.6) at the start of the 20th Century, including the 1902 Atushi earthquake, which killed an estimated 5,000 people. The range is cut through in the west by the 700-km-long, northwest-southeast striking, Talas-Ferghana active right-lateral, strike-slip fault system. Though the system has produced no major earthquakes in the last 250 years, paleo-seismic studies indicate that it has the potential to produce M7.0+ earthquakes and it is thought to represent a significant hazard.

The northern portion of the Tibetan Plateau itself is largely dominated by the motion on three large left-lateral, strike-slip fault systems; the Altyn Tagh, Kunlun and Haiyuan. The Altyn Tagh fault is the longest of these strike slip faults and it is thought to accommodate a significant portion of plate convergence. However, this system has not experienced significant historical earthquakes, though paleoseismic studies show evidence of prehistoric M7.0-8.0 events. Thrust faults link with the Altyn Tagh at its eastern and western termini. The Kunlun Fault, south of the Altyn Tagh, is seismically active, producing large earthquakes such as the 8th November 1997, M7.6 Manyi earthquake and the 14th November 2001, M7.8 Kokoxili earthquake. The Haiyuan Fault, in the far north-east, generated the 16 December 1920, M7.8 earthquake that killed approximately 200,000 people and the 22 May 1927 M7.6 earthquake that killed 40,912.

The Longmen Shan thrust belt, along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is an important structural feature and forms a transitional zone between the complexly deformed Songpan-Garze Fold Belt and the relatively undeformed Sichuan Basin. On 12 May 2008, the thrust belt produced the reverse slip, M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, killing over 87,000 people and causing billions of US dollars in damages and landslides which dammed several rivers and lakes.

Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau are the right-lateral, strike-slip Red River and the left-lateral, strike-slip Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang fault systems. The Red River Fault experienced large scale, left-lateral ductile shear during the Tertiary period before changing to its present day right-lateral slip rate of approximately 5 mm/yr. This fault has produced several earthquakes greater than M6.0 including the 4 January 1970, M7.5 earthquake in Tonghai which killed over 10,000 people. Since the start of the 20th century, the Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system has generated several M7.0+ earthquakes including the M7.5 Luhuo earthquake which ruptured on the 22 April 1973. Some studies suggest that due to the high slip rate on this fault, future large earthquakes are highly possible along the 65km stretch between Daofu and Qianning and the 135km stretch that runs through Kangding.

Shallow earthquakes within the Indo-Burmese Arc, predominantly occur on a combination of strike-slip and reverse faults, including the Sagaing, Kabaw and Dauki faults. Between 1930 and 1956, six M7.0+ earthquakes occurred near the right-lateral Sagaing Fault, resulting in severe damage in Myanmar including the generation of landslides, liquefaction and the loss of 610 lives. Deep earthquakes (200km) have also been known to occur in this region, these are thought to be due to the subduction of the eastwards dipping, India plate, though whether subduction is currently active is debated. Within the pre-instrumental period, the large Shillong earthquake occurred on the 12 June 1897, causing widespread destruction.

For More Information

Earthquake Summary Poster

- USGS.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Disaster Precursors - Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Attacked By Bald Eagle; Air Force Cheetahs Attack Officer In South Africa; Monster Alligator Eats Burglary Suspect Hiding In Florida Pond; Youth Killed By Bear In Kashmir, India!

© Time / YouTube

December 11, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes two of latest reports of animal attacks on humans.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attacked by bald eagle during TIME photoshoot

Donald Trump has been attacked by all sides this week for his comments about Muslims, including former vice president Dick Cheney, but new footage released show that even the symbol of America has issues with the billionaire.

Video from a TIME magazine photo shoot in August shows a bald eagle named Uncle Sam refusing to participate with the Republican candidate.

The Donald’s infamous "hair" was put in jeopardy when the 27-year-old bird attacked his head. Later, when sitting at his desk, Sam went for Trump's hand.

“What you will do for a cover – this bird is seriously dangerous but beautiful,” said Trump.


WATCH: Trump dodges eagle attack.

“It’s hard to plan what animals will do. There’s not much training you can do with a wild bird and Mr. Trump was a little hesitant holding the bird, so it was very tricky to get the bird to [stay] on his hand”, said Martin Schoeller, the shoot photographer.

“Donald Trump is an icon, and this bald eagle is an icon,” said Jonathan Wood, the bald eagle’s owner.

Ironically, the bald eagle is a success story of the Endangered Species Act, the kind of big government regulation that Trump complains about on the campaign trail.

Republicans in Congress are trying to "dial back" the act by removing some species from the protected list. - RT.

Air Force cheetahs attack officer in South Africa

© Yiannis Kourtoglou / Reuters

A pair of cheetahs used by the South African Air Force (SAAF) to scare other wild animals off their runways put a scare - and a few claws - into a photo-happy officer.

The female officer was trying to take a picture of the wild cats after they wandered into a hangar at Air Force Base Makhado near Kruger National Park in the northeast part of the country.

"People chased them out, but the warrant officer followed them to take photographs. One of the cheetahs growled at her. She turned back and started screaming. The first cheetah went for her and the second joined in," Brigadier General Marthie Visser told DPA news agency.

The officer has since been released from hospital with no serious injuries.

Visser insisted the Makhado cheetahs, who were deployed to the base two weeks ago to prevent wildlife including antelope, hare, and warthogs from straying onto the runway, will remain there.

Varning för Pumbaa #warthog
Instagram: croonan_75

He said the SAAF will do more to educate officers on sharing the base with the world's fastest land animals.

After two years of “service”, the cheetahs will be released into the wild.

SAAF has used cheetahs since the 1990s to prevent wildlife interfering with military aviation.

The country has a population of roughly 600 cheetahs in captivity and 500 wild, excluding game reserves. They are not considered endangered, but are a protected animal in South Africa.

South Africa isn't the only country to employ the skills of animals.

The US military is researching how elephants can sniff out explosives in the hope of applying it to technology for their troops.

They have also taken an interest in bomb-sniffing rats for those places elephants find hard to reach, as well as dolphins trained to detect underwater mines. - RT.

Monster alligator eats burglary suspect hiding in Florida pond

Authorities say a burglary suspect was killed by an 11-foot gator while hiding from authorities in a Florida pond.

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office says 22-year-old Matthew Riggins drowned as a result of the gator attack.

Riggins and another suspect were in a neighborhood in Barefoot Bay to burglarize homes, Brevard County Sheriff's officials say. Riggins and the other man were spotted on Royal Palm Boulevard, but eluded authorities.

Riggins nor the other man were never located by deputies.

Riggins reportedly called his girlfriend to say he was being chased by authorities.

His girlfriend called police the next day to report him missing when he never returned home, Brevard Sheriff's officials say.

The half eaten body of Riggins was found in a Barefoot Bay lake just north of Ocean Avenue Way on Nov. 23. He was missing his lower extremities and part of his arm, deputies told the Orlando Sentinel.

While sheriff dive team members were recovering Riggins' body when they encountered a large gator "aggressively approaching" them.

Due to trauma observed on the body, a FWC trapper was called and an alligator approximately 11-foot in length was trapped and euthanized.

Brevard County Sheriff's Office says the forensic examination of the alligator located remains consistent with the injuries to Riggins inside the alligator’s stomach.

Agents have identified the male who was in the company of Riggins that night, however he has refused to cooperate with law enforcement in reference to this investigation.


WATCH: Suspected burglar hides from cops in pond, is killed by alligator.

- CBS12.

Youth killed by bear in Kashmir, India

A youth was killed in South Kashmir's Anantnag district after he was attacked by a wild bear.

A police official said 20 year-old Showkat Ahmad Gorsi of Avil Gujjar Basti in Damhal Hanjipora area of the district was critically injured after a wild bear attacked him.

The official said the youth was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. - Daily Excelsior.

 

MONUMENTAL DELUGE: Widespread Flooding – The Latest Reports Of High Tides, Heavy Rainfall, Flash Floods, Sea Level Rise, And Catastrophic Storms!

April 18, 2015 - EARTH - The following list constitutes the latest reports of high tides, heavy rainfall, flash floods, widespread flooding, sea level rise and catastrophic storms.

At least 4 passengers dead after bus is swept away by floods near Mandera, Kenya

Passengers atop a bus that was swept away by flash floods as it tried to cross a seasonal river at Gadudia in Mandera County on April 16, 2015.

At least four passengers were killed while more than 20 remained unaccounted for after floods swept away a bus in Mandera on Thursday.

County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo, who confirmed the four deaths, said rescuers were still searching for more bodies along the river where the incident occurred.

The bus, Mr Nkoyo said, had 59 passengers with an unknown number of children when it was rummaged by the fierce waters. Only 42 passengers had been rescued by around 5pm, Mr Nkoyo said.

There were fears that the number of those killed following the floods could rise as signs of more passengers being rescued faded as darkness neared.

"We had the police escort but their vehicle had already crossed the Gadudia seasonal river in which the bus stalled before it flooded," said Mr Nkoyo. The bus was traveling from Mandera to Nairobi.

Scores of passengers were washed away as others climbed on top of the bus to save their lives.

Mandera Kenya Red Cross Society coordinator Ahmed Mohamed also said 42 passengers who were in the bus as it tried to cross the river had been rescued by 2pm.

Mr Mohamed said the rescue operation was under way and involved the KRSC, the military and other government organs.

"We will brief you as the operation continues. It is ongoing. We will confirm the whereabouts of the rest," he said.

The KRCS official said the bus, which overturned after being rummaged by the floods, had been removed from the waters and turned over.

The bus got stuck in the mud before it was swept away by floods along with its passengers.

Mandera Town

"Several people have been carried away but the rest are on top of the bus after coming out through the windows," Mr Nkoyo had said earlier.

"The water level is coming down and we have formed a human wall to help rescue those on the bus and those who might have drowned," he added.

The incident occurred 35 kilometres from Mandera Town.

The bus was said to be the only one from Mandera that was heading to Nairobi as other bus companies kept off the roads due to heavy rains.

Chile Faces $1.5 Billion Costs of Flood Damage

Chile is now facing costs of around $1.5 billion in construction costs and economic reactivation in the flood-hit north of the country. But based on preliminary analysis, Fitch Ratings believes that insurance industry solvency will not be affected.

In their statement of 14 April, Fitch said it believes that insurance industry solvency will not be affected by the recent floods in northern Chile (second and third region). The Chilean property/casualty insurance industry will adequately absorb the incurred claims and will result in a limited effect in 2015 fiscal year net income.

Fitch say that, compared to Chile’s 2010 earthquake, geographical extent and population density of the flood-affected area is more limited. Meanwhile, the Chilean insurance industry has solid risk coverage, which besides strong underwriting policies, includes solid reinsurance protection for retained risks and catastrophic events.

“The agency considers unlikely an impact on the insurers’ solvency and ratings due to the limited effect in net loss ratios, which mainly will be derived from infrastructure damage, roads, commercial buildings and housing claims”.

Damage and Costs

Fitch say that the largest impact of the catastrophe will be on industrial infrastructure, considering the importance of the mining operations in the area, housing, public buildings, commercial infrastructure and to a lesser extent damage to vehicles. Over 2,000 homes were destroyed and over 6,000 damaged in the floods.

Difficulties in collecting damage information have delayed estimates of the economic costs of the disaster, and therefore also estimations of claims cost that insurers face locally. The Chilean government has estimated the construction costs and economic reactivation in the area at approximately $1.5 billion USD.

Grape and Olive Production

Despite promises of financial help for flood hit farmers, the effects of the flood disaster, particularly in the Copiapo Valley, are expected to result in be felt in decreased table grape output in future seasons.

In a recent statement, Copiapo Valley Agricultural Producers and Exporters Association (APECO) president Lina Arrieta said, “Making a preliminary estimate, it seems as though the table grape production will be reduced by at least 30% over the coming seasons.”

Meanwhile the regions olive farmers are also suffering. Fresh Fruit Portal report that mud up to 50cm deep dumped by the floods is hampering the chances of harvesting olives on time.

Unregulated Development Exacerbated Kashmir Floods

The Jhelum Valley received unparalleled rains during September 2014. However, the inconvenient fact remains that the Kashmir flood disaster was notably exacerbated by human interventions in the river basin, reports Bharat Lal Seth for International Rivers.

Jhelum River Basin Floods, September 2015

Last year the Jhelum River Basin received unprecedented rainfall in the Kashmir Valley. It was the wettest September in recorded history; several weather stations broke their 24 and 48 hour records. The administrators in the region were swift to call the downpour and resulting deluge a “hydro-met tragedy”. Hydro-met is a contraction for the terms hydrological and meteorological, and therefore the loss of lives, infrastructure and property in this flood disaster was laid squarely on unpredictable precipitation patterns and a fast changing climate. Yet, although undeniably the Jhelum Valley received unparalleled September rains, the inconvenient fact remains that the disaster was notably exacerbated by human interventions in the river basin.

The flood waters of the river Jhelum breached embankments at various points in September 2014
Photo: Bharat Lal Seth

In a candid concession, Javed Jafar, chief engineer of the irrigation and flood control department, said that besides heavy rain and discharge, the urban and rural encroachments in the river basin – including infrastructure such as railway lines, expressway and other roads – played a negative role in creating bottlenecks, which exacerbated the floods to the tune of “15-20%”. What Jafar meanderingly acknowledged, but didn’t stress, is the need for better infrastructural planning in the floodplain instead of encroaching and building on the wetlands and lakes that are a natural sponge for floodwaters.

“Our master planning is skewed. Under the garb of tourism there is a cartel, which acts against the preservation of ecosystems. We need to do away with development without planning,” said Iftikhar A. Hakim, chief town planner of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir that was badly hit by the September floods.

“Srinagar, with a population of 1.4 million, is not only exposed to constant danger from floods, but is itself the cause of floods”

“Srinagar, with a population of 1.4 million, is not only exposed to constant danger from floods, but is itself the cause of floods” he added, saying that unregulated urbanization worsened the impacts of the flood.

At a media workshop held April 6-8, organized by the Centre for Environment Education and The Third Pole, it was made clear by expert presentations and a visit to particular river catchments that urban and rural encroachments in the floodplain worsened the risks and impacts of flooding in the valley. “We didn’t fail in 2014; we failed much before it,” said Saleem Beg, a member of the National Monuments Authority. “We’re doing away with wetlands and water bodies essential for the health of the river system”, he said. The authority, among other things, is responsible for considering permissions for construction in prohibited and regulated areas.

The Jhelum, 725 kilometers in length, has the calmest descent among the Himalayan rivers in the Indus River Basin. In 150 km of the upper stretch the river descends a mere 24-meters, which makes the Jhelum a relatively silent river that is inclined to overflow its banks in the Kashmir valley. This characteristic makes the drainage basin wetland and system of lakes particularly vital to deal with floodwaters. Inspite of this, the spread of Wular Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, and part of the Jhelum drainage basin, reduced from 159 sq km in 1911 to 86 sq km in 2007. Due to such happenings the carrying capacity of the river basin is reducing; the volume of flood discharge in September 2014 was three times the carrying capacity of the river.

The spread of Wular lake, part of the Jhelum drainage basin, reduced from 159 sq km in 1911 to 86 sq km in 2007.
Photo: Bharat Lal Seth

Weather Forecaster in Hot Seat

During the period 1901-2013, the average September rainfall in the region has been approximately 33 mm. Notably, six times the average was received last year. At last week’s workshop, Sonam Lotus, scientist with the Indian Meteorology Department, stationed in Kashmir for more than 9 years, talked us through the terrifying days of September 1 to 7. Very high rainfall was received on the 3^rd night and 4^th morning. Sonam, in the hot seat, gave a warning to the administrators on the 3^rd afternoon that they would have a “window period” as they were “not expecting this much water”. Instead there was incessant downpour over the next 48 hours and beyond, with no window period in sight. The misinformation was labeled as “human limitation”, and Sonam claimed that with the technology at his disposal it wasn’t possible to predict such high “abnormal” rainfall with certainty. “Don’t wait for the disaster, prepare now,” says Sonam now, alluding to the fact that much can be done in terms of giving the river space as well as in disaster preparedness. He spoke of a conversation in May last year that he had with a water resources engineer who had a premonition that “the big flood was coming”.

“How good are we at spotting trends? The media is there when it happens, but what happens before?” questioned Joydeep Gupta of The Third Pole, co-organizer of the workshop, stressing the need for pre-disaster awareness and reporting.

Natural calamities are only further heightened when short-term real estate interests eschew the functions of a floodplain. The same was the case in Uttarakhand in 2013, when hydropower projects, rampant muck dumping and river bank encroachments worsened the impact of the raging flood waters.

Given the increasing occurrence of such intense and incessant week-long rainfall events, it is essential to put in place preventive measures that assist in delaying water flow in the catchment – not only to the main stem, but also the streams and tributaries, water bodies and lakes, which together increase the carrying capacity in the river basin. Our interventions on and around rivers need to be scrutinized not just in the postmortem of such tragedies, but re-engineered in to our nonexistent River Basin planning.

Kazakhstan – 15,000 Evacuated as Melting Snow Causes Floods in 4 Regions

Higher temperatures during the last fews days of March, and then again from 06 April, have increased the melting of snow and caused widespread flooding in central and eastern Kazakhstan since 12 April 2015.

Local media say temperatures rose to around 20 degrees Centigrade. The rise in temperatures was accompanied by rainfall in some areas, increasing snowmelt further, and resulting in flooding in at least 4 regions.

Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan

Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan

Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan

The regions of Akmola, Karagandy, Pavlodar and East Kazakhstan have since declared a state of emergency.

The Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan report that 35 people had to be rescued and 14,790 people have been evacuated in total. Around 2,000 of the evacuees were soon able to return to their homes.

Karagandy region is thought to be the worst affected area after local rivers, including the River Nura overflowed. Floods across Karagandy have forced around 6,500 people from their homes. The Emergency Committee say that over 1,700 homes have been flooded in as many as 35 separate villages in the region.
Parts of Kyzylorda Oblast region in southern Kazakhstan suffered similar flooding in March 2014.


- Daily Nation | Floodlist.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Two Earthquakes (4.8 And 3.8 Magnitude) Rock Assam, India Within 2 Hours!

The Met department put the epicenter at Morigaon and Sonitpur.

April 17, 2015 - ASSAM, INDIA - Two earthquakes, one measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale and the other 3.8, rocked Assam in a span of about two hours in the early hours of Friday, forcing people to jump out of bed and run outdoors.

While the first tremor, which lasted about seven seconds, was felt at 3:35 AM, it was followed by smaller one at 5:50 AM.

The Met department website put the epicenter of the first earthquake at a place in Sonitpur district at 26.8 N Latitude and 92.7 E Longitude, and that of the second tremor in Morigaon district at 26.3 N Latitude and 92.4 E Longitude. The depth of both the tremors has been put at 10 km.

Geomorphologically located in earthquake zone V of the Indian subcontinent, the Northeastern region is marked as a highly seismic area.

With these, the Northeastern region along with adjoining Bangladesh, Myanmar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have recorded as many as nine earthquakes in the current month.

The earlier seven earthquakes felt in the region were Andaman & Nicobar Islands (April 3, magnitude 4), Bangladesh (April 8, magnitude 4.5), Sonitpur, Assam (April 9, magnitude 3.1), West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya (April 9, magnitude 2.8), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (April 9, magnitude 5.1), Chandel, Manipur (April 12, magnitude 3.5) and Myanmar (April 15, magnitude 4.1). - Indian Express.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity

Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.

The India-Eurasia plate boundary is a diffuse boundary, which in the region near the north of India, lies within the limits of the Indus-Tsangpo (also called the Yarlung-Zangbo) Suture to the north and the Main Frontal Thrust to the south. The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is located roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. The narrow (less than 200km) Himalaya Front includes numerous east-west trending, parallel structures. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults. Examples of significant earthquakes, in this densely populated region, caused by reverse slip movement include the 1934 M8.1 Bihar, the 1905 M7.5 Kangra and the 2005 M7.6 Kashmir earthquakes. The latter two resulted in the highest death tolls for Himalaya earthquakes seen to date, together killing over 100,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The largest instrumentally recorded Himalaya earthquake occurred on 15th August 1950 in Assam, eastern India. This M8.6 right-lateral, strike-slip, earthquake was widely felt over a broad area of central Asia, causing extensive damage to villages in the epicentral region.

The Tibetan Plateau is situated north of the Himalaya, stretching approximately 1000km north-south and 2500km east-west, and is geologically and tectonically complex with several sutures which are hundreds of kilometer-long and generally trend east-west. The Tibetan Plateau is cut by a number of large (greater than 1000km) east-west trending, left-lateral, strike-slip faults, including the long Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh. Right-lateral, strike-slip faults (comparable in size to the left-lateral faults), in this region include the Karakorum, Red River, and Sagaing. Secondary north-south trending normal faults also cut the Tibetan Plateau. Thrust faults are found towards the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau. Collectively, these faults accommodate crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates, with thrust faults accommodating north south compression, and normal and strike-slip accommodating east-west extension.

Along the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the vicinity of south-eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the India plate translates obliquely relative to the Eurasia plate, resulting in a complex fold-and-thrust belt known as the Sulaiman Range. Faulting in this region includes strike-slip, reverse-slip and oblique-slip motion and often results in shallow, destructive earthquakes. The active, left-lateral, strike-slip Chaman fault is the fastest moving fault in the region. In 1505, a segment of the Chaman fault near Kabul, Afghanistan, ruptured causing widespread destruction. In the same region the more recent 30 May 1935, M7.6 Quetta earthquake, which occurred in the Sulaiman Range in Pakistan, killed between 30,000 and 60,000 people.

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.

Further north, the Tian Shan is a seismically active intra-continental mountain belt, which extends 2500 km in an ENE-WNW orientation north of the Tarim Basin. This belt is defined by numerous east-west trending thrust faults, creating a compressional basin and range landscape. It is generally thought that regional stresses associated with the collision of the India and Eurasia plates are responsible for faulting in the region. The region has had three major earthquakes (greater than M7.6) at the start of the 20th Century, including the 1902 Atushi earthquake, which killed an estimated 5,000 people. The range is cut through in the west by the 700-km-long, northwest-southeast striking, Talas-Ferghana active right-lateral, strike-slip fault system. Though the system has produced no major earthquakes in the last 250 years, paleo-seismic studies indicate that it has the potential to produce M7.0+ earthquakes and it is thought to represent a significant hazard.

The northern portion of the Tibetan Plateau itself is largely dominated by the motion on three large left-lateral, strike-slip fault systems; the Altyn Tagh, Kunlun and Haiyuan. The Altyn Tagh fault is the longest of these strike slip faults and it is thought to accommodate a significant portion of plate convergence. However, this system has not experienced significant historical earthquakes, though paleoseismic studies show evidence of prehistoric M7.0-8.0 events. Thrust faults link with the Altyn Tagh at its eastern and western termini. The Kunlun Fault, south of the Altyn Tagh, is seismically active, producing large earthquakes such as the 8th November 1997, M7.6 Manyi earthquake and the 14th November 2001, M7.8 Kokoxili earthquake. The Haiyuan Fault, in the far north-east, generated the 16 December 1920, M7.8 earthquake that killed approximately 200,000 people and the 22 May 1927 M7.6 earthquake that killed 40,912.

The Longmen Shan thrust belt, along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is an important structural feature and forms a transitional zone between the complexly deformed Songpan-Garze Fold Belt and the relatively undeformed Sichuan Basin. On 12 May 2008, the thrust belt produced the reverse slip, M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, killing over 87,000 people and causing billions of US dollars in damages and landslides which dammed several rivers and lakes.

Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau are the right-lateral, strike-slip Red River and the left-lateral, strike-slip Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang fault systems. The Red River Fault experienced large scale, left-lateral ductile shear during the Tertiary period before changing to its present day right-lateral slip rate of approximately 5 mm/yr. This fault has produced several earthquakes greater than M6.0 including the 4 January 1970, M7.5 earthquake in Tonghai which killed over 10,000 people. Since the start of the 20th century, the Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system has generated several M7.0+ earthquakes including the M7.5 Luhuo earthquake which ruptured on the 22 April 1973. Some studies suggest that due to the high slip rate on this fault, future large earthquakes are highly possible along the 65km stretch between Daofu and Qianning and the 135km stretch that runs through Kangding.

Shallow earthquakes within the Indo-Burmese Arc, predominantly occur on a combination of strike-slip and reverse faults, including the Sagaing, Kabaw and Dauki faults. Between 1930 and 1956, six M7.0+ earthquakes occurred near the right-lateral Sagaing Fault, resulting in severe damage in Myanmar including the generation of landslides, liquefaction and the loss of 610 lives. Deep earthquakes (200km) have also been known to occur in this region, these are thought to be due to the subduction of the eastwards dipping, India plate, though whether subduction is currently active is debated. Within the pre-instrumental period, the large Shillong earthquake occurred on the 12 June 1897, causing widespread destruction.

- USGS.

MONUMENTAL DELUGE: Widespread Flooding – The Latest Reports Of High Tides, Heavy Rainfall, Flash Floods, Sea Level Rise, And Catastrophic Storms!

April 11, 2015 - EARTH -The following list constitutes the latest reports of high tides, heavy rainfall, flash floods, widespread flooding, sea level rise and catastrophic storms.

Kashmir Floods – Officials Say 44 Killed, 12,000 Homes Damaged

Photo: IFRC. A flood victim taking refuge on roof of a house in Srinagar.

The state government of Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir issued some official figures for the recent floods and landslides that hit the state in late March this year.

Revenue Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir gave the following figures in the state legislative assembly:

44 people died
25 injured
12,565 structures (homes or buildings) were damaged
862 cattle died
211 camps have been set up to house 2,907 families that were forced to evacuate their homes
1,474 tents and 3,287 blankets have been provided to those displaced by the floods

Financial Help for September Flood Victims
The floods and landslides in March 2015 followed soon after the devastating floods in Kashmir of September 2014, where over 200 people died.

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said yesterday that the government will start disbursement of relief materials from 15 April 2015 for victims of the September floods.

He said that the rehabilitation of flood-ravaged people of Jammu and Kashmir is a huge challenge and a main priority of the government.

During the Question Hour in the Legislative Council, he said:

“The government will start disbursement of relief from April 15 to the flood-hit people. To small-time businessmen and the impoverished who were not having insurance cover, and affected by floods of September 2014″.

Mexico – Veracruz to Get Emergency Funds for March Floods

Earlier this week the Interior Ministry in Mexico declared emergency status for 18 municipalities in the state of Veracruz that were affected by floods, heavy rain and hailstorms.

The severe weather struck between 25 and 27 March 2015. At least 7 people were killed and 100s made homeless. While some areas, such as Cordoba, were being hit by intense hail, others, such as Atzalan, were waist-high in flood water after heavy rain had caused flash flooding and local rivers overflowed.

Hail and floods Ixtaczoquitlan, Veracruz, Mexico. Photo: Government of Veracruz

Hail and floods Ixtaczoquitlan, Veracruz, Mexico. Photo: Government of Veracruz

Hailstorm, Veracruz, Mexico. Photo: Government of Veracruz

Declaring a state of emergency will allow Veracruz state government access to financial resources of the “Fund for Emergency Response” through the Ministry of Interior. The state government will then provide assistance to flood victims in the 18 affected municipalities. According to the government statement, the municipalities are:

Agua Dulce, Chalma, Chiconamel, Chicontepec, Coatzacoalcos, Huatusco, Ixhuatlán Southeast, Jesus Carranza, Las Choapas, Martinez de la Torre, Minatitlan, Moloacán, Nanchital, Papantla, Plato Sánchez , Poza Rica, San Andrés Tuxtla and Sochiapa.

Interstate north of Milwaukee closed due to record rains, floods

Linda Siegel sits along the Milwaukee River at her home in Mequon.

An interstate was closed north of Milwaukee after several vehicles became partially submerged in flood water due to heavy rain.

Ozaukee County Sheriff's Lt. Cory McCormick says no one was hurt when the water flooding their vehicles in the southbound lanes of Interstate 43 early Thursday. The sheriff's department closed about 100 yards of the interstate near the Port Washington exit from about 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Milwaukee received 2.47 inches of rain on Thursday, setting a rainfall record for April 9, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Madison also broke its previous record for the day, with 1.51 inches recorded between midnight and 4 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Milwaukee River near Cedarburg in Ozaukee County Thursday.

Dutch Plans to Solve Flood Issues at Bentiu Refugee Camp, South Sudan

Dutch flood prevention experts are working on plans to alleviate flooding in the Bentiu refugee camp in South Sudan.

The camp is notoriously flood prone. It is home to around 50,000 refugees escaping the violence of the civil war. The compound is around 70 hectares and is situated on low-lying ground that becomes a swamp during the rainy season, causing already low living standards to worsen. We have written about flooding in the camp several times. Last year the camp was under water for several weeks during June and July, and once more during August.

Following trade and development minister Lilianne Ploumen’s visit to South Sudan last autumn, a team of hydraulic engineers – led by the consultancy firm Grontmij – has drawn up a plan to improve the situation.

Floods in refugee camp at Bentiu, August 2014. Photo: UN Photo / Flickr

Bentiu camp, South Sudan. Photo: UN Photo / Flickr

In the 2014 rainy season the entire camp flooded, including the toilets, schools and hospital. “Despite the efforts of aid workers, UN staff and the refugees themselves to make the best of the situation, conditions were terrible,” said Ms Ploumen. “That’s why we sent a water expert to Bentiu to assess short- and long-term needs.”

Flood Alleviation Plans
The result is a new plan to renovate the existing camp and add an extension. To ensure adequate drainage, a dike will encircle the camp, ditches and canals will be dug and large-scale pumps will be installed.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, every possible effort is being made to finish land reclamation efforts before the rainy season begins in May or June. It is a project of immense proportions, in a difficult location, in the middle of a war zone. The total cost amounts to some USD 20 million, with USD 5.4 million provided by the Netherlands. Other financial backers include the UN, the EU and Switzerland.

Dutch efforts focus on drawing up the technical plan and supervising its implementation. Most of the financial contribution will be used to cover the costs of installing the ditches, canals and pumps.

The project aims keep all the displaced persons at the camp – whose numbers continue to increase – and aid workers dry in the 2015 rainy season.

Bentiu camp in June 2014. Photo: MSF

Bentiu refugee camp under water, August 2014. Image taken from video by CARE International

“This is not just about preventing flooding,”’ said the minister. “It’s also about reducing the risk of illnesses like diarrhoea and cholera. Living conditions will still be tough, but they will be improved.”

‘What we’re doing in Bentiu is an excellent example of the added value of Dutch knowledge and expertise,’ said Ms Ploumen. “Most important of course, is what we’re doing to give the refugees better places to live. At the same time, we’re highlighting the major role Dutch businesses and knowledge institutions can play in emergency aid provision.”

Ethiopia Camps
In March this year the UN announced that it will begin relocating more than 50,000 South Sudanese refugees from flood-prone camps of Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps in the Gambella region, western Ethiopia, to avoid flood risks posed by the start of the rainy season.

Cambodia – Elevated Wells Reduce Risk of Disease After Floods

Children of Kokor Primary School collect water from their newly elevated and rehabilitated well in Kokor village, Kampong Cham province, eastern Cambodia.
Photo credit: UNICEF Cambodia/Martina Tomassini / EU/ECHO

In autumn 2013, several parts of Cambodia were severely affected by flooding, leaving many rural water supplies unusable and unsanitary. Unclean water and lack of sanitation and hygiene are among the leading causes of diarrhea – a preventable disease which kills an estimated 2,300 children in Cambodia every year.

With funding from the European Commission, UNICEF joined forces with the Cambodian government to reduce the risk of water-borne diseases for vulnerable children and their families, during and after a flood emergency. Some 98,000 households in flood-prone areas are expected to benefit from the joint EU-UNICEF initiative.
At Kokor Primary School, children are eager to use their new well to water their cherished vegetable garden. “Since the well has been rehabilitated and elevated, we don’t need to worry about the rainy season anymore,” explains Lorn Leang Heng, Kokor Primary School director. The school well is one of the 275 wells rehabilitated across Cambodia as part of a joint EU, UNICEF and Cambodian government initiative to strengthen preparedness and build resilience in flood-prone areas.

Older children run to the top of the 2-level well and start pumping water, while younger ones gather around the tap on the ground level and start passing around buckets and watering cans. “Having two water points means that, while the bottom one is under water when it floods, the top one remains dry and can still be used,” continues Lorn Leang Heng. “When the 2013 flood hit, the well was completely submerged: it took two weeks for the water to go down!” he adds.

Children help water the plot and pick the vegetables. Spinach, salad and morning glory (a type of water spinach popular in south-east Asia) are all grown at the school and eaten together by students and teachers come harvest time.

“What I like the most? Pumping the water!” says Man Manit, an 11-year old female student.

“Every year this area is subject to flooding,” explains Tong Phal Long, chief of Kokor commune. “After the floods in 2013, some of us continued to use the wells in the village but we had several diarrhea cases. We needed the wells to be chlorinated and repaired. We needed clean water,” adds Tin Sen, chief of Kokor 2 village. “Now people have started using village wells again: they feel more confident to do so because they see less diseases caused by contaminated water,” he concludes.

In Kokor 2 village, four out of a total of five wells have been rehabilitated (with one being raised), benefiting a total of 1 582 people. In most households, well water is used for cooking, bathing and washing; half of the villagers use it for drinking as well, after boiling it or using a water filter (the remaining half buy drinking water from water providers).

“Rehabilitated wells are good for children’s health and all household activities, including vegetable gardens,” explains Yin Saron, 53, mother of seven and farmer of chili, maize and rice. “With no well, I would have to go to the nearest pagoda to get water, one kilometre away from here. During the rainy season the area is flooded. I would need to take a boat to get to the pagoda,” she adds. “It is expensive and difficult for the community to mobilise the money for well repairs: the rehabilitation UNICEF and the EU delivered helped us a lot,” Yin concludes with a smile.

This joint EU-UNICEF initiative has supported the training of rural development teams in well chlorination and disinfection and of community members in basic sanitation and hygiene, and taught sub-national officials how to map wells with a user-friendly mobile application for tablets and smartphones.

Learn more about the EU-UNICEF partnership.

Kenya Floods – 1 Killed in Kajiado, 2,000 Displaced in Kisumu

Heavy rain which resulted in deadly floods in Siaya County, in south-west Kenya a few days ago has now affected other areas of southern Kenya, leaving 1 dead and 2,000 displaced.

Kajiado
In Kajiado county, one person was killed after he was swept away in his vehicle by the overflowing Olkerirai River on Sunday 05 April 2015, according to The Star Kenya. Two others fond themselves in similar circumstances the day before and had to be rescued.

Kisumu
Around1,500 people were forced from their homes after flood water started to rise in Muhoroni, Kisumu county, on Monday 06 April 2015.

Local media say that the worst affected areas include Migosi, Nyakach Manyatta, Nyalenda, Kaloleni, Bandani and Kondele. The flooding was blamed on the poor state of the drainage system in the area.

Floods in Kisumu county also displaced around 80 families in Achuodho village on Sunday 05 April 2015, according to Kenya Red Cross. Some of the families have moved to churches and schools while others are living in camps provided by the Kenya Red Cross. Crops, livestock and roads have all been damaged in the flooding.

The death in Kajiado means that at least 6 people have died in flooding in Kenya in the last week. At least 5 people died in Siaya County after heavy rains resulted in flooding after local dams were breached.

Northern Chile Floods March 2015 – Facts, Figures and Photos

The regions on Atacama, Antofagasta and Coquimbo in northern Chile were hit by severe floods on 26 March 2015 after a period of relatively heavy rainfall.

Chile Floods – Facts and Figures
Below are the latest figures (as of 06 April 2015) from the government of Chile.
3 regions affected – Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo
26 people killed
Over 150 reported missing
29,741 people affected
2,514 displaced by the floods and staying in temporary shelters
2,071 homes destroyed
6,254 homes damaged
2,265 tons of aid to the affected regions

By Region

Antofagasta
3 people killed
1,452 affected
38 displaced
71 homes destroyed
1,236 homes damaged
The town of Taltal is considered to be the worst affected

Atacama
23 people dead
28,000 affected
2,476 displaced and housed in temporary shelters
Affected areas include Paipote, Inca de Oro, Copiapó, San Antonio and Amolanas, Alto del Carmen Chañaral, Diego de Almagro, El Salado

Coquimbo
289 victims
18 homes with major damage
No displaced

Rainfall Amounts
The only figure available for the time of the floods in is from Antofagasta, which saw 24.4 mm of rain fall in 24 hours between 25 and 26 March 2015. The relatively small amount (compared to other major flood events) is the equivalent of 7 years of rainfall in this desert region.

Causes of the Floods
The cause of the heavy rainfall have been mentioned here . Warmer sea temperatures (attributed to El Niño) combined with an unusually strong and persistent “cut-off” low pressure system that was trapped over Chile by an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure, resulted in unusually heavy rainfall, according to RMS.
Heavier than normal rainfall falling on dry desert land and rocks, on steep mountainsides with little soil or vegetation, resulted in torrential runoff, which, by the time it had reached coastal areas such as Taltal and Chañaral, had become a raging torrent.

- Floodlist | Star Tribune.