The 2011 Sikkim earthquake was a damaging magnitude 6.9 Mw earthquake that occurred in Sikkim, northern India, near the Sikkim-Nepal border at 18:10 IST (12:40 UTC) on Sunday, 18 September 2011. The earthquake was felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The quake came just after few days after an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Haryana's Sonipat district, sending tremors in New Delhi.
At least nine people were killed in the earthquake. In Sikkim, four are reported dead, with reports of fatalities in and near Singtam in the East Sikkim district.Several buildings collapsed in Gangtok. Five are reported dead in Nepal, including three killed when a wall of the British Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal collapsed.In Tibet, building collapse was reported in Dinggyê and Gamba.
Geology
The magnitude 6.9 (Mw) earthquake occurred inland at 12:40 UTC on 18 September 2011, at Mangan and Sakyong areas, about 68 km (42 mi) northwest of Gangtok, Sikkim at a shallow depth of 19.7 km (12.2 mi). At its latitude, the continental Indian and Eurasian Plates converge with one another to produce a tectonic boundary beneath the mountainous region of northeast India near the Nepalese border. Although earthquakes occurring along the interface of the boundary are usually of interplate nature, preliminary data suggests the Sikkim earthquake was triggered by shallow strike-slip faulting from an intraplate source. Initial analyses also indicate a complex setup, with the perceived tremor likely being a result of two events occurring close together in time at similar focal depths.
Located at shallow depth beneath the surface, the earthquake caused strong shaking in many areas adjacent to its epicenter. The strongest shaking occurred to the west in Gangtok and further south in Shiliguri, although similar ground motions registering at MM VI (strong) on the Mercalli scale were recorded in many smaller towns across elevated regions. Lighter tremors (MM IV–III) spread southward through populous regions, with these motions reported in the Bihar capital of Patna and as far southwest as Bihar Sharif.In all, the earthquake was felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan, and China. Tremors were felt in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi states of India. In Tibet, the earthquake could be felt in Shigatse and Lhasa.
At least nine people were killed in the earthquake. In Sikkim, four are reported dead, with reports of fatalities in and near Singtam in the East Sikkim district.Several buildings collapsed in Gangtok. Five are reported dead in Nepal, including three killed when a wall of the British Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal collapsed.In Tibet, building collapse was reported in Dinggyê and Gamba.
Geology
The magnitude 6.9 (Mw) earthquake occurred inland at 12:40 UTC on 18 September 2011, at Mangan and Sakyong areas, about 68 km (42 mi) northwest of Gangtok, Sikkim at a shallow depth of 19.7 km (12.2 mi). At its latitude, the continental Indian and Eurasian Plates converge with one another to produce a tectonic boundary beneath the mountainous region of northeast India near the Nepalese border. Although earthquakes occurring along the interface of the boundary are usually of interplate nature, preliminary data suggests the Sikkim earthquake was triggered by shallow strike-slip faulting from an intraplate source. Initial analyses also indicate a complex setup, with the perceived tremor likely being a result of two events occurring close together in time at similar focal depths.
Located at shallow depth beneath the surface, the earthquake caused strong shaking in many areas adjacent to its epicenter. The strongest shaking occurred to the west in Gangtok and further south in Shiliguri, although similar ground motions registering at MM VI (strong) on the Mercalli scale were recorded in many smaller towns across elevated regions. Lighter tremors (MM IV–III) spread southward through populous regions, with these motions reported in the Bihar capital of Patna and as far southwest as Bihar Sharif.In all, the earthquake was felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan, and China. Tremors were felt in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi states of India. In Tibet, the earthquake could be felt in Shigatse and Lhasa.
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