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Bangladesh experts issue quake warning after series of tremors
Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Sept 17 (PTI) As many as 32 tremors this year, four of them in the past seven days, have prompted experts in Bangladesh to issue a clarion call for quake preparedness as the series of minor tremors may be warning signals ahead of a massive earthquake.
Bangladesh saw eight major earthquakes up to intensity of 8 on the Richter scale since 1762 and several other previous massive ones might have remained unrecorded.
"Radio carbon analysis suggests major quakes return within 250 to 300 years," earthquake expert Professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansary told PTI.
"We have already exhausted nearly 250 years since the 1762 quake occurred and so we should expect a major quake to hit us anytime now," he added.
The series of quakes, only one being an aftershock, with intensities ranging between 3.9 and 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted nearly the entire northwestern, northeastern and parts of western and central Bangladesh in the past one week.
The quakes have sparked a nationwide panic. One of the tremors shook the country on the night ahead of the on Eid ul Fitr festival and another on the Eid Day though none of them claimed any life.
No serious damage to infrastructure was caused, only minor cracks appeared in some dilapidated buildings.
But Ansary said the impact of a quake intensifies 32 times for one unit increase in the measurement in the Richter scale while it multiplies in cumulative rate.
"The damaging capacity of a tremor with 7 or 8 on the Richter scale will be unbelievable," said the BUET professor, who has earned his repute in tremor studies.
The meteorological department detected at least 90 earthquakes in the country between May 2007 and July 2008, nine of them above five on the Richter scale, and epicentres of 95 per cent of those tremors was within a 600 km radius of Dhaka city.
According to a seismic zoning map prepared by BUET, 43 per cent areas in Bangladesh are rated high risk, 41 per cent moderate and 16 per cent at low risk.
Meteorologists and quake experts said the India plate and Myanmar sub-plate were apparently on the move towards north and northeastern direction exposing Bangladesh to intensified tremor dangers.
Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzak quoting experts last month said an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale might kill 90,000 people instantly.
Ansary said damage caused by a major quake now would be much higher compared to the past because of increased population and expanded infrastructures. .
Bangladesh experts issue quake warning after series of tremors - International News ? News ? MSN India
Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Sept 17 (PTI) As many as 32 tremors this year, four of them in the past seven days, have prompted experts in Bangladesh to issue a clarion call for quake preparedness as the series of minor tremors may be warning signals ahead of a massive earthquake.
Bangladesh saw eight major earthquakes up to intensity of 8 on the Richter scale since 1762 and several other previous massive ones might have remained unrecorded.
"Radio carbon analysis suggests major quakes return within 250 to 300 years," earthquake expert Professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansary told PTI.
"We have already exhausted nearly 250 years since the 1762 quake occurred and so we should expect a major quake to hit us anytime now," he added.
The series of quakes, only one being an aftershock, with intensities ranging between 3.9 and 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted nearly the entire northwestern, northeastern and parts of western and central Bangladesh in the past one week.
The quakes have sparked a nationwide panic. One of the tremors shook the country on the night ahead of the on Eid ul Fitr festival and another on the Eid Day though none of them claimed any life.
No serious damage to infrastructure was caused, only minor cracks appeared in some dilapidated buildings.
But Ansary said the impact of a quake intensifies 32 times for one unit increase in the measurement in the Richter scale while it multiplies in cumulative rate.
"The damaging capacity of a tremor with 7 or 8 on the Richter scale will be unbelievable," said the BUET professor, who has earned his repute in tremor studies.
The meteorological department detected at least 90 earthquakes in the country between May 2007 and July 2008, nine of them above five on the Richter scale, and epicentres of 95 per cent of those tremors was within a 600 km radius of Dhaka city.
According to a seismic zoning map prepared by BUET, 43 per cent areas in Bangladesh are rated high risk, 41 per cent moderate and 16 per cent at low risk.
Meteorologists and quake experts said the India plate and Myanmar sub-plate were apparently on the move towards north and northeastern direction exposing Bangladesh to intensified tremor dangers.
Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzak quoting experts last month said an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale might kill 90,000 people instantly.
Ansary said damage caused by a major quake now would be much higher compared to the past because of increased population and expanded infrastructures. .
Bangladesh experts issue quake warning after series of tremors - International News ? News ? MSN India
