1997 Harnai earthquake

1997 Harnai earthquake

UTC time	Doublet earthquake:
	A: 1997-02-27 21:08
	B: 1997-02-27 21:30
ISC event
	A: 1013076
	B: 1013084
USGS-ANSS
	A: ComCat
	B: ComCat
Local date	February 28, 1997
Local time
	A: 2:08
	B: 2:30
Magnitude
	A: Mw 7.0 [1]
	B: Ms 6.4 [2]
Depth	33 km (21 mi)
Epicenter	29°58′34″N 68°12′29″E / 29.976°N 68.208°E / 29.976; 68.208
Max. intensity	VIII (Severe)
Casualties	100

The 1997 Harnai earthquake occurred on February 27 at 21:08 UTC near Harnai, Pakistan, and felt throughout much of central Balochistan,^[3] with a magnitude estimated at 7.0 on the M_w scale.^[4] A 2016 study^[5] determined that this was a doublet earthquake, the M_s 6.4 shock that hit 22 minutes later being a continuation of the initial main shock. The earthquake was caused by the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.^[6]

The mountainous villages near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, suffered most of the damage. Small villages in Sibi District, with mostly adobe dwellings, were completely destroyed, and the town of Harnai alone had 75 fatalities. The total number of deaths due to the earthquakes was over 100.^[7]

References[]

Sources[]

• ANSS, "Pakistan 1997", Comprehensive Catalog, U.S. Geological Survey
• International Seismological Centre, ISC-EHB Bulletin, Thatcham, United Kingdom
• Nissen, E.; Elliott, J. R.; Sloan, R. A.; Craig, T. J.; Funning, G. J.; Hutko, A.; Parsons, B. E.; Wright, T. J. (April 2016), "Limitations of rupture forecasting exposed by instantaneously triggered earthquake doublet" (PDF), Nature Geoscience, 9 (4): 330–336, Bibcode:2016NatGe...9..330N, doi:10.1038/ngeo2653.

External links[]

• The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.