The 1956 Anjar earthquake occurred at 15:32 UTC on 21 July, causing maximum damage in town of Anjar in Kutch, Gujarat, India. It had an estimated magnitude of 6.1 on the surface-wave magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of IX on the

Mercalli intensity scale The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...

.India: Anjar, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Kandla Earthquake, 1956
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Earthquake

The

epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...

of earthquake of 21 July 1956 was at somewhere between Anjar and Bhadresar, very close to that of 1819 Kutch earthquake, between 50 and 120 km away depending on the epicentral location chosen for the earlier event. It caused considerable damage and casualties, especially in and around town of Anjar, India. The area of maximum damage was of 2000 km² and radius of perceptibility was 300 km. The cause of earthquake was reverse faulting, similar to that which caused the 1819 earthquake.

Damage

The town of Anjar and the

Taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

of Anjar were the most affected region with 2000 houses damaged, of which half of them were in Anjar town alone. The other towns affected were Bhuj, Kera, Bhachau, Gandhidham and port town of

Kandla Kandla is a census town in the Kutch district of Gujarat state in Western India, near the city of Gandhidham. It occupies on the coast of Gulf of Cutch along the banks of the Kandla Creek. According to the 2011 Census of India, Kandla is t ...

. At least 115 people were reported to have died and casualties numbered to 254 as per government records. It was estimated that more than 3,000 houses in 25 villages developed huge cracks, losses ran up to 10 million. Such devastation wreaked by the quake made it one of the worst calamities to hit Kutch in the past 100 years. More than 8,000 people migrated from the district a few days after the quake. The earthquake was followed by heavy rains, which added to the misery of thousands living in temporary camps. Anjar, which is a historic town and very congested in the old parts was largely destroyed in this earthquake of 1956. Later, new houses were raised on old foundations, and in due course of time also the new township of Naya Anjar or New Anjar township was founded after this earthquake for rehabilitation purpose. The railway track near Anjar was damaged as the earth gave way over a length of nearly 50 feet, however, other major railway lines, roads, bridges, culverts, were not affected by this earthquake.Proceedings of the Indian Science Congress – Volume 44 – 1957 – Page 167.

Other events

The next major earthquake in the region was of 26 January 2001, which again was due to a similar style of faulting as the 1819 earthquake.

References

External links

* {{Earthquakes in India

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

1956 earthquakes July 1956 in Asia Kutch district History of Gujarat (1947–present) 1956 in India History of Kutch

1956 disasters in India

Earthquake

Damage

Other events

See also

References

External links