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Coordinates: 27°00′00″N 65°30′50″E / 27.000°N 65.514°E / 27.000; 65.514
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27°00′00″N 65°30′50″E / 27.000°N 65.514°E / 27.000; 65.514

2013 Pakistan earthquake
Epicentre
Epicentre
UTC time??
Magnitude7.7 Mw
Depth20.0 km (12.4 mi)
Epicenter27°00′00″N 65°30′50″E / 27.000°N 65.514°E / 27.000; 65.514 (Pakistan earthquake)
Areas affected Pakistan
 India
 Oman
Aftershocks7
Casualties55 Dead[1]

For the April 2013 earthquake which impacted southwestern Pakistan, see 2013 Sistan and Baluchestan earthquake.

The 2013 Pakistan earthquake was a magnitude Mw 7.7 earthquake with an epicenter 66 kilometres (41 mi) north-northeast of Awaran in Balochistan.[2] At least 55 people were killed and eight were injured.[3][4][5][6]


Seismic details

The United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake took place on September 24, 2013 at 11:29:48 UTC at 27.000°N, 65.514°E. The depth of the earthquake was reported to be 20 kilometres (12 mi). Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre reported the Mw 7.7 quake occurred at 16:29:49 PKT(UTC+5:00) at 27.09°N, 65.61°E at a depth of 10 km.[7] The earthquake reportedly lasted about a minute, causing panic in cities of southern Pakistan such as Karachi & Hyderabad. [8]

The earthquake was felt in majors cities across Pakistan, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Larkana, and Lahore[8]. The quake was felt in Delhi, India, where some buildings shook [9], and Muscat, Oman—800 km from the epicenter—where mild tremors shook tables and cabinets.[10]

Tectonic summary

The September 24, 2013 M7.7 earthquake in south-central Pakistan occurred as the result of oblique-strike-slip type motion at shallow crustal depths. The location and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with rupture within the Eurasia plate above the Makran subduction zone. The event occurred within the transition zone between northward subduction of the Arabian plate beneath the Eurasia plate and northward collision of the India plate with the Eurasia plate. On a broad scale, the tectonics of southern and central Pakistan reflect a complex plate boundary where the India plate slides northward relative to the Eurasia plate in the east, and the Arabia plate subducts northward beneath the Eurasia plate in the Makran (western Pakistan). These motions typically result in north-south to northeast-southwest strike-slip motion at the latitude of the September 24 earthquake that is primarily accommodated on the Chaman Fault, with the earthquake potentially occurring on one of the southern-most strands of this fault system. Further, more in-depth studies will be required to identify the precise fault associated with this event. Although seismically active, this portion of the Eurasia plate boundary region has not experienced large damaging earthquakes in recent history. In the past 40 years, only one significant event has occurred within 200km of this September 2013 event, that was an M6.1 earthquake in July of 1990 which killed 6 people.[2]

Aftershocks

  • Mw 5.9 earthquake at 27.295°N 65.663°E occurred at 11:36:31 UTC (16:36:31 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 24.5 km (15.2 mi).[11]
  • Mw 4.7 earthquake at 27.297°N 65.647°E occurred at 12:07:06 UTC (17:07:06 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 10.1 km (6.3 mi).[12] According to Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre, this aftershock occurred at 17:07:01 PKT (12:07:01 UTC) at 24.51°N, 69.69°E with a magnitude of 5.7 and a focal depth of 110 km.[7]
  • Mw 5.0 earthquake at 27.310°N 65.594°E occurred at 12:42:12 UTC (17:42:12 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 25.7 km (16.0 mi).[13] According to Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre, this aftershock occurred at 17:42:16 PKT (12:42:16 UTC) at 27.30°N, 65.80°E with a magnitude of 5.2 and a focal depth of 26 km.[7]
  • Mw 5.6 earthquake at 27.343°N 65.642°E occurred at 13:01:40 UTC (18:01:40 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 27.7 km (17.2 mi).[14]
  • Mw 5.2 earthquake at 27.568°N 65.707°E occurred at 14:08:34 UTC (19:08:34 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 27.1 km (16.8 mi).[15]
  • Mw 4.9 earthquake at 27.144°N 65.506°E occurred at 18:12:24 UTC (23:12:24 PKT) on September 24 at a depth of 27.8 km (17.3 mi).[16]
  • Mw 5.5 earthquake at 27.193°N 65.487°E occurred at 20:20:15 UTC (01:20:15 PKT} on September 24 at a depth of 23.6 km (14.7 mi).[17]

Effects and casualties

The earthquake killed at least 55 people and another 8 were wounded.[2][18][19] PAGER impact estimates from the United States Geological Survey include a red alert level for initial shaking-related fatalities (35% chance of 1,000-10,000 fatalities, 27% chance of 10,000-100,000 fatalities) and an orange alert level for economic impact (35% chance of US$100 million-$1 billion, 26% chance of US$1-10 billion). [20]

The earthquake struck a sparsely populated region of Pakistan. Most homes and buildings in the region are constructed of mud bricks and collapsed during the earthquake and aftershocks. An official in the Baluchistan province claimed that 30 percent of the homes in the Awaran district had collapsed.[21] In the regional capital Quetta, some areas appeared to be badly damaged. [21] [1]

The earthquake was powerful enough to raise a small island in the Arabian Sea off the shore of Gwadar. Early reports claim the new island is between 350 feet (110 m) to 1 mile (1.6 km) from the shore, with a height of 20-40 ft (6-12m) and about 100 feet (30 m) wide.[22] [1]

See also

2005 Kashmir earthquake

References

  1. ^ a b c "Deadly earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from M7.7 - 66km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan. United States Geological Survey.
  3. ^ "32 people die in Pakistan earthquake". Geo News. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Earthquake killed 33 people in Pakistan". Dawn. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Earthquake killed 55 people in Pakistan". Samma. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "At least 55 die in earthquake". Dunya News. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Latest Earthquakes". Pakistan Meteorological Department—National Seismic Monitoring Centre, KARACHI. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Quake in southern Pakistan kills 2, damages houses". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Powerful earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  10. ^ Vaidya, Sunil. "Tremors from Pakistan quake felt in Muscat". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  11. ^ "M5.9 - 102km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "M4.7 - 101km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "M5.0 - 101km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "M5.6 - 100km WSW of Khuzdar, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "M5.2 - 94km WSW of Khuzdar, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "M4.9 - 81km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "M5.5 - 85km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "A earthquake magnitude 7.8 hit Pakistan". Russia Today. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "7.8 earthquake magnitude in Pakistan". BBC News. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "M7.8 - 69km NNE of Awaran, Pakistan (BETA)". Earthquake Hazards Program. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  21. ^ a b Yusufzai, Gul. "Quake kills 45 in Pakistan, creates new island in sea". Reuters. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  22. ^ "Island discovered as a result of earthquake in Pakistan". IBNLive.in.com. Press Trust of India. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
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