THE MARCH 29,1999 EARTHQUAKE AT CHAMOLI, INDIA

摘要

A moderate earthquake of Richter magnitude 6.8 rocked the Garhwal region of Western Himalayas on March 29, 1999 at 00:36:13.4 hours IST with espicenter at 30.408 °N, 79.416 °E near Chamoli/Gopeshwar. The tectonic set-up and seismicity of this region is discussed and the event was located in the active MCT zone and may have caused by a low angle fault. The extent and severity of damage was influenced by lateral heterogeneity and topography of the area. The strong motions in the epicentral region are found to be relatively rich in low frequencies indicating a deep focus event. Further, the prevalent construction practices in the region and their performance during the earthquake is discussed. Non-compliance to the earthquake-resistant features, and poor construction practices for locally available building materials were responsible for the majority of structural damage observed in the affected area.