An eyewitness account of the Bhuj earthquake

Abstract

The occurrence of a severe earthquake is a rare event with its effect localized in a limited region. There are no prior indications of its occurrence too; hence experiencing such an event is just a matter of chance, which the author had by virtue of his posting at Bhuj. This paper presents a detailed account of observations made in the wake of the Bhuj earthquake of January 26th 2001, describing physical and mental reactions during the earthquake, the post-quake scenario, the nature and cause of damage to buildings, the trend of aftershocks, various deformities, including ruptures and fissures on the surface of the earth, etc. which may be useful for a detailed study of the seismological activity in the region.