Earthquake Hit Research Articles

Microseismicity, tectonics and seismic potential in the Western Himalayan segment, NW Himalaya, India

The tectonics and seismic potential of the western Himalayan segment (30–33°N; 76–80°E) of the NW Himalayan (India) region have been determined in this study. 423 earthquakes were located in the NW Himalaya between 2004 and 2013 using more than 4495 P and 4453 S differential travel times to determine the moment tensors for 8 (Mw ≥ 4.0) of these earthquakes using their broadband regional waveforms. The geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) plane which varies along the strike of the Himalaya in flat and ramp segments with a dip ranging between ∼2.5 to ∼4° to ∼19° below the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the south to the South Tibetan Detachment (STD) in the north has also been deduced in this study. Two crustal ramps were reported in this study with a depth variance below the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and to the South Tibetan Detachment (STD) between 12 to 22 km and 28 to 40 km depth respectively. The estimated earthquake potential prevailing in the western Himalayan seismic gap lying between the epicentral zone of the 1905 Kangra earthquake and the 1975 Kinnaur earthquake reveals that the total amount of energy released since the last great event is only a fraction (3–5%) of the accommodated energy i.e.1.1E+28 dyne-cm/yr. This suggests that if an earthquake hits this NW Himalayan segment in the future, its magnitude might be around Mw ≥ 8.0.

Perspective of Farm Gate Agroforestry Product in the Emergency of the Chepangs Community: A Case Study of Mega earthquake of Central Nepal

Agroforestry is one of the major sources of sustenance among the people of Nepal, and only one mode of livelihood at the Chepangs in present days. National Seismological Centre (NSC-Nepal), recorded mega earthquake (7.8 Mw) that hit the country on the 25th of April in 2015, and many of its aftershocks had catastrophic effects. As a result, big structures collapsed, which incurred great losses on fabrication, collection centers, schools, markets, and other potential government, and private service centers. Continue aftershocks, and after two weeks later another earthquake hit (6.3 Mw) jeopardize Chepangs food security in Makwanpur.
 This study was designed to find out the food security, and market situation of agroforestry product of the Chepang community in Raksirang (One of the Severely affected VDC in Makwanpur district) due to the earthquake. A total of 40 households (12 %) were selected as a sample size. Questionnaires, Focus Groups Discussion (FGD), Observation, key informant interview tool were applied, and detail information from District Disaster Response Committee (DDRC), and emergency support agencies (UNICEF, WFP, PLAN, TEAR Fund) were consulted for additional narrative information.
 The research illustrated that approx. 370 hectares of land, with agroforestry plantation, ruptured by the earthquake, caused severe damages to the household’s structure, and a loss of food-stock up to 2/3 portion. Instead of regular cereal (rice, maize, and vegetables) intake, banana (Musa paradisiaca) consumption was in high scale during the emergency period. The market price of rice increased by 18.9 % due to demand. Income variation found before, and after the disaster. Prior to earthquake, agroforestry-livestock product was accelerating, but after the earthquake, agroforestry remains the only one means of livelihood among Chepangs. Nearly, half of agroforestry production of banana (Musa paradisiaca), citrus (Citrus lemon), pineapple (Ananus comosus) and broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima) declined, which was ready to harvest within 2-3 weeks. Heavy demands of agroforestry product above lay high farm gate prices (Up to doubled) helps surveyed community to continue livelihood from its sale. Nearly, 75 % respondents migrated to safe location due to land rupture, ongoing aftershocks, and occurring landslides. Overall food security situation in this community is acute, and challenging for the days to come. Immediate, and long-term response through relief agency concerning food, shelter, and safe stocking of agroforestry product is required. Agroforestry plantation and technical support to increase production, and to balance the food security and livelihood for longer period are the upcoming challenges in the coming days.

Source parameters of the 2016 Menyuan earthquake in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau determined from regional seismic waveforms and InSAR measurements

On January 21st, 2016, a Ms 6.4 earthquake hit Menyuan County, Qinghai province, China. The nearest known fault is the Leng Long Ling (LLL) fault which is located approximately 7 km north of the epicenter. This fault has mainly shown sinistral strike-slip movement since the late Quaternary Period. However, the focal mechanism indicates that it is a thrust earthquake, which is different from the well-known strike-slip feature of the LLL fault. In this study, we determined the focal mechanism and primary nodal plane through multi-step inversions in the frequency and time domain by using the broadband regional seismic waveforms recorded by the China Digital Seismic Network (CDSN). Our results show that the rupture duration was short, within 0–2 s after the earthquake, and the rupture expanded upwards along the fault plane. Based on these fault parameters, we then solve for variable slip distribution on the fault plane using the InSAR data. We applied a three-segment fault model to simulate the arc-shaped structure of the northern LLL fault, and obtained a detailed slip distribution on the fault plane. The inversion results show that the maximum slip is 0.43 m, and the average slip angle is 78.8°, with a magnitude of Mw 6.0 and a focal depth of 9.38 km. With the geological structure and the inversion results taken into consideration, it can be suggested that this earthquake was caused by the arc-shaped secondary fault located at the north side of the LLL fault. The secondary fault, together with the LLL fault, forms a normal flower structure. The main LLL fault extends almost vertically into the base rock and the rocks between the two faults form a bulging fault block. Therefore, we infer that this earthquake is the manifestation of a neotectonics movement, in which the bulging fault block is lifted further up under the compresso-shear action caused by the Tibetan Plateau pushing towards the northwest direction.

First Rescue Under the Rubble: The Medical Aid in the First Hours After the Earthquake in Amatrice (Italy) on August 24, 2016.

On August 24, 2016, an earthquake hit the town of Amatrice (Italy). This study aims to document the first medical aid provided to earthquake victims in Amatrice immediately following the earthquake. Patient data were collected and recorded during the first clinical evaluation and before definitive hospitalization. Blood gas tests were performed on survivors extricated from the rubble using the iSTAT (Abbott Point of Care Inc.; Princeton, New Jersey USA) handheld blood analyzer. Performing "victim-side" blood gas tests could provide concrete information to facilitate clinical evaluation and decision making when treating buried victims. After a natural disaster, it is essential to provide effective analgo-sedation to victims. Blasetti AG , Petrucci E , Cofini V , Pizzi B , Scimia P , Pozone T , Necozione S , Fusco P , Marinangeli F . First rescue under the rubble: the medical aid in the first hours after the earthquake in Amatrice (Italy) on August 24, 2016. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(1):109-113.

Experimental Identification on Thresholds for Early Warning of Rainfall-induced Failure on Fractured Slopes after Giant Earthquake

Prevention and mitigation of rainfall induced geological hazards after the Ms=8 Wenchuan earthquake on May 12th, 2008 were significant for rebuild of earthquake hit regions. After the Wenchuan earthquake, there were tens of thousands of fractured slopes which were broken and loosened by the ground shaking, they were very susceptible to heavy rainfall and change forms into potential debris flows. In order to carry out this disaster reduction and prediction effectively in Longmenshan region, careful real-time monitoring and pre-warning of mountain hazards in both regional and site-specific scales is reasonable as alternatives in Wenchuan earthquake regions. For pre-warning the failure of fractured slopes induced by rainfall, the threshold value or the critical value of the precipitation of hazards should be proposed. However, the identification of critical criterion and parameters to pre-warning is the most difficult issue in mountainous hazards monitoring and pre-warning system especially in the elusive and massive fractured slopes widespread in Wenchuan earthquake regions. In this study, a natural coseismic fractured landslide in the Taziping village, Hongkou County, Dujianyan City, was selected to conduct the field experimental test, in order to identify the threshold parameters and critical criterion of the fractured slopes of Taziping. After the field experimental test, the correlation of rainfall intensity, rainfall duration and accumulative rainfall was investigated. The field experimental test was capable of identifying the threshold factors for failure of rainfall-induced fractured slopes after the giant earthquake.

A Multi-Source Early Warning System of MEMS Based Wireless Monitoring for Rainfall-Induced Landslides

Landslide monitoring and early warning systems are the most successful countermeasures to reduce fatalities and economic losses from landslide hazards. The traditional strategies such as GPS and extensometers are relatively expensive and difficult to be installed in steep, high mountains. In this study, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) based multivariate wireless monitoring sensor unit was used to build a monitoring and early warning system for rainfall-triggered landslides, as one of the most practical and cost-effective countermeasures for hard-reached mountains. The multi-source wireless monitoring system and its well-developed equipment were tested in a landslide-prone slope to monitor the triggering of landslides and debris flows in the Wenchuan earthquake region, China. The variations of several state variables were observed, including the soil moisture content, soil matric suction, rainfall, inclination and ground vibration. The results of a slope stability analysis were benchmarked with the in situ measurements to identify the multivariate early warning parameters for rainfall-induced landslides. The proposed early warning system for the slope stability analysis can provide a more accurate prediction for rainfall-induced landslides and debris flows in earthquake hit regions.

Effects of restoration measures from the east Japan earthquake in the Iwate coastal area: application of a DSGE model

Restoration investment after an earthquake and tsunami can improve regional production, but effects of investment emerge differently in production, investment and consumption. Conventional economic models cannot reproduce such chronological nonconformity among economic indices. This study aims to analyze whether the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model can duplicate the chronological restoration path and nonconformity, and quantifies the efficiency of the restoration measures, such as restoration investment with fund transfer and rebuilding subsidy, in the Iwate coastal region, where the east Japan earthquake hit. The analytical results are as follows: (1) consumption after the earthquake follows a hump-shaped path, where peak point of consumption was delayed from production peak, but then recovered; (2) private investment and labor demand decrease by more than self-restoration does when the restoration measures end; and (3) restoration investment with fund transfer and rebuilding subsidy improves the economy by accelerating the reconstruction of damaged capital stocks, and the benefits of these two measures outweigh their respective costs. These findings show that the influence of an unforeseen and disastrous earthquake can be explained well by the forward-looking decisions on consumption and savings (equal to investment) endogenizing in the DSGE model.

Not only Eating Together: Space and Green Social Work Intervention in a Hazard-Affected Area in Ya’an, Sichuan of China

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county of Ya’an city, Sichuan Province, China, on 20 April 2013. The Lushan earthquake damage is less than the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake’s, where 70,000 houses collapsed and 2 million people across nineteen prefectures and 115 counties of Sichuan province were affected. Temple Village (fictitious name), an old village in S township, was chosen as an intervention site. As most young adults went to work in the city, the old community became dilapidated and its traditional culture, architecture, custom, skill and wisdom were dying. Social workers were unable to tackle fully this community’s multiple needs, especially those associated with environmental and physical spaces linked to notions of belonging and identity, on their own. A transdisciplinary action research team in which social workers operated hand in hand with the disciplines of architectural design became the means for exploring an alternative model of post-disaster community reconstruction that would enhance the quality of life of left-behind people in this disaster-affected community. Working together, the research team facilitated the formation of a community kitchen project that enabled villagers to create a new building and co-operative organisations for the village’s long-term sustainable development. This paper presents the participatory design process, contribution of green social work and transdisciplinary interventions in post-disaster community reconstruction.

SEISMIC MICROZONATION STUDIES CONSIDERING LOCAL SITE EFFECTS FOR YOGYAKARTA CITY, INDONESIA

An Mw 6.3 earthquake hit Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2006, causing massive damage in this densely populated area. As a consequence, risk reduction efforts in terms of local seismic response and peak ground acceleration (PGA) mapping is needed to improve the spatial planning and early assessment beforeanother disastrous earthquake. The determination of PGA for microzonation study was conducted by referring to the Indonesian seismic code and empirical prediction by examining attenuation relationships considering the local site effects. The site investigation was conducted at 87 locations, comprising 13 core drillings and 74 microtremor measurements. Further, the nonlinear earthquake site response analyses were conducted to calculate the local seismic response occurring in a layered soil. Referring to the seismic codewith a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years and site characteristics, the maximum considered earthquake geometric mean PGA for Yogyakarta City is 0.50-0.57g, while the southern area has higher PGA. The empirical prediction by attenuation relationships that considers the 6.3 Mw Yogyakarta earthquake 2006 with 50-100 year return period resulted in PGA of 0.14g to 0.21g. Meanwhile, the empirical prediction based on soil predominant period resulting from microtremor measurements shows that the southern part of the cityhas higher PGA of 0.2g to 0.3g whereas the northern part has lower PGA of 0.1g to 0.2g. The result of nonlinear earthquake site response analyses shows that the PGA at the southern part and the northern part of the city have higher PGA up to 0.38g. The results show the significance of local site effects and site response analysis in determining the earthquake characteristics in comparison to the present simplified empirical approach.

Threat of scrub typhus in post-earthquake Nepal

Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal zoonotic infection, reported from many parts of Asia including Nepal. There is in­creasing reports of outbreak of Scrub typhus, after the earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. The recent outbreak of Scrub typhus posed problems in diagnosis and treatment of the disease. It may be related to poor awareness of the disease or lack of suspicion for Scrub typhus which often presents with clinical features indistinguishable from typhoid fever. Since, various parts of Nepal appeared to be suitable hubs for Scrub typhus, the clinical suspicion of Scrub typhus in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin (FUO) is of utmost importance to prevent mortality and morbidity. This is a prospective study conducted in Chitwan Medical College (CMC), Chitwan, Nepal. This study was carried out over a period of 4 months extending from June 2016 to September 2016. A total of 410 serum samples were collected from all patients visiting CMC, clinically suspected of having Scrub typhus infec­tion. The samples were processed for the detection of IgM antibodies for Scrub typhus by ELISA. Results: A total of 410 samples from patients suspected with Scrub typhus infection were processed which included 200 males and 210 females. Out of total 410 samples tested, 181 (44.1%) were seropositive for Scrub typhus. Seropositivity was highest 25.9% among the age group 11-20 years of age. Females were infected more than males. This study implies the re-emergence of Scrub typhus in different regions of Nepal. Although the disease is endemic in our country, it is grossly underdiagnosed owing to non-specific clinical presentation and lack of diagnostic facilities. It is thus suggested that high index of suspicion should be maintained for cases presenting with febrile illness. Infection with Scrub typhus was found high and this calls for an urgent need to introduce vaccine against Scrub typhus.

Tracking Disease: Digital Epidemiology Offers New Promise in Predicting Outbreaks.

On 19 October 2010, ten months after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) was notified of a sudden surge in patients suffering from watery diarrhea and dehydration. Two days later, the Haiti National Public Health Laboratory identified the culprit: Vibrio cholerae. On 22 October, officials announced the first cholera outbreak in Haiti in more than a century.

Deployment of Medical Relief Teams of the Indian Army in the Aftermath of the Nepal Earthquake: Lessons Learned.

In April 2015 a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. As part of relief operations named Operation Maitri, the Indian Armed Forces deployed 3 field hospitals in the disaster zone. Rapid deployment of mobile surgical teams to far-flung, inaccessible areas was done by helicopters. In an operational deployment spanning 1 month, a total of 7532 patients were treated and 105 surgeries were carried out on 83 patients. One-fifth of the patients were less than 18 years of age. One-third of the patients had traumatic injuries directly attributable to the earthquake, whereas the remaining patients were treated for diseases of poor sanitation and hygiene as well as chronic illness that had been neglected owing to the collapse of the local health infrastructure. Cases of traumatic injuries directly related to the earthquake were seen maximally on the 5th day after the index event but tapered off rapidly by the 10th day. Nontraumatic illness required more attention thereafter and a need was felt for separate child health and reproductive health services later in the mission. Although immediate management of injuries and surgical intervention in selected cases was possible, ensuring long-term care and rehabilitation of cases proved problematic. This was especially so for spinal injury cases. Data capturing by a paper-based system was found to be inadequate. The lessons learned from this mission have led to a reimagining of the composition of future relief operations. Apart from mobile surgical teams, on which conventional field hospitals are generally centered, a separate section for preventive medicine and child and maternal services is needed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:394-398).

Für Clan und Vaterland?

This article explores the shifting loyalties in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the first half of the twentieth century. Bearing the multiple stigmata of being alien, illegal, and poor, Chinese immigrants maintained their trans-Pacific diasporic allegiances. Clan-based loyalty structures and sworn brotherhoods began to erode during the 1900s when the bubonic plague epidemic and the 1906 earthquake hit San Francisco. The Pacific War was another watershed moment that increased opportunities for economic and social inclusion of Chinese immigrants into mainstream American society. In this fight against a common enemy, Chinese Americans proved their loyalty to the country to which their parents had immigrated.

The August 24th 2016 Accumoli earthquake: surface faulting and Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation (DSGSD) in the Monte Vettore area

<p>On August 24th 2016 a Mw=6.0 earthquake hit central Italy, with the epicenter located at the boundaries between Lazio, Marche, Abruzzi and Umbria regions, near the village of Accumoli (Rieti, Lazio). Immediately after the mainshock, this geological survey has been focused on the earthquake environmental effects related to the tectonic reactivation of the previously mapped active fault (i.e. primary), as well as secondary effects mostly related to the seismic shaking (e.g. landslides and fracturing in soil and rock).This paper brings data on superficial effects and some preliminary considerations about the interaction and possible relationship between surface faulting and the occurrence of Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation (DSGSD) along the southern and western slope of Monte Vettore.</p>

Surviving the 2015 Mount Everest disaster: A phenomenological exploration into lived experience and the role of mental toughness

ObjectivesThe 2015 Nepal earthquake and subsequent avalanche at Mount Everest Base Camp is the deadliest mountaineering disaster to date. This study is novel in exploring the lived experiences of survivors and the role of mental toughness in their psychological responses to the disaster. DesignPhenomenological study. MethodTen mountaineers, who were on expeditions during the earthquake, participated in phenomenological interviews. Data were analysed inductively and thematically, while strategies to enhance trustworthiness were also employed. ResultsSeven dimensions emerged from the data, which captured climbers' psychological responses to the disaster, ranging from the moments the earthquake hit to reflections on the disaster after returning home. Contrasting emotional responses were described, and suggested to depend on experience and mental toughness. Negative emotional and behavioural responses were reported in the aftermath. Some climbers reported post-traumatic stress, but also a strong desire to return to Mount Everest and continue mountaineering. ConclusionsThese findings provide detailed insights into the lived experiences of climbers who survived the 2015 Nepal earthquake and Base Camp avalanche. Findings also shed light on the role of mental toughness in coping with and responding to a major natural disaster.

Comparison between simulation and experimental result of the scale down vertical concrete cask under the historical earthquake hit

In recent years, the final disposal facility for the long-term storage of high radioactive waste is an important issue and an urgent task for nuclear Industry. This study is focus on the understanding the procedure of dry storage system in a nuclear power plant. The dry storage system is known as transportable storage canister (TSC) packing by using spent fuel placed in vertical concrete cask (VCC) or VCC with add-on-shell (AOS) canister and then those conveyed VCC or AOS will be put on the concrete pad. A numerical simulation for evaluation the behavior of VCC and AOC under the earthquake hits is used the finite element model by LS-DYNA and the real seismic behavior is obtained using shaking table test. Test results indicate that the simulation by numerical model can slightly simulate the dynamic records by shaking table test. This is because that the behavior of shaking table test is the rocking motion but the numerical model is the sliding motion. The surface roughness between the cask and concrete pad is an important variable and it needs more numerical simulation to solve the interface and friction coefficient between the cask and concrete pad.

Earthquake behavior of M1 minaret of historical Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)

Minarets are almost the inevitable part of Mosques in Islam and according to some, from a philosophical point of view, today they symbolize the spiritual elevation of man towards God. Due to slenderness, minarets are susceptible to earthquakes and wind loads. They are mostly built in a masonry style by using cut limestone blocks or occasionally by using bricks. In this study, one minaret (M1 Minaret) of one of the charmest mosques of Turkey, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 on the order of Sultan Ahmed by the architect Mehmet Agha is investigated under some registered earthquake loads. According to historical records, a great earthquake hit Istanbul and/or its close proximity approximately every 250 years. Ottomans tackled with the problem of building earthquake resistant, slender minarets by starting to use forged iron connectors with lead as a filler to fix them to the upper and lower and to adjacent stones instead of using traditional mortar only. Thus, the discrete stones are able to transfer tensile forces in some sense. This study investigates the contribution of lead to the energy absorption capacity of the minaret under extensive earthquakes occurred in the region. By using the software ANSYS/LS-DYNA in modelling and investigating the minaret nonlinearly, it is found out that under very big recorded earthquakes, the connectors of vertical cast iron-lead mechanism play very important role and help to keep the structure safe.

STRATEGI BUDAYA UNTUK PEMULIHAN USAHA KECIL DAN MENENGAH (UKM) DI YOGYAKARTA PASCAGEMPA

In May 2U, 2006 earthquake hit Yogyakarta and Central Java measured 5.9 on the Richter scale and lasted for S2 seconds. The impact of the earthquake in May 2U, 2006 which hit Yogyakarta and Central Java was very devastating. To add the anguish, one of the most important economic pillars of Yogyakarta's inhabitants: the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were also severely affected by the calamity. The preliminary assessment done by various institutions found that thousands SMEs actors have lost their enterprises. Moreover, ten thousands SMEs workers lost their jobs by which they make a living. To easy the pain of the impact of this tragedy, this paper offers a scenario to utilize the strong altruism culture of Yogyakarta's community as an economic instrument to help the SMEs actors to rebuild their business. The cultural instrument here means that people in Yogyakarta are suggested to use their moral judgment rather than rational one when making a choice to fulfill their daily needs: that is by switching their preference from buying branded manufactured goods made by big factories to simpler products made by SMEs. This community movement, hopefully, will boost the demand of SMEs products which in the end could support the efforts of the SMEs actors to recover their business.

Profile and Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries Associated With the Lushan Earthquake in 2013.

On April 20, 2013, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan County, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province in southwest China. West China Hospital of Sichuan University, the largest and best hospital in Sichuan Province, is located in the city of Chengdu-about 100 km from the epicenter-and provided medical treatment to a total of 400 seismic patients. In this article, we retrospectively investigated 199 patients with musculoskeletal injuries who were treated in the Department of Orthopedics. Based on the seismic intensity distribution map, injury-occurring locations were divided into 5 grade-related areas: IX, VIII, VII, VI, and ≤V grade-area. The characteristics of seismic injuries were analyzed according to the geographic distribution of victims. We found that the constituent ratio of injury causes significantly differed in different earthquake areas according to the seismic intensity. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 408-410).

Nepal earthquake: nursing missions in Paris and Kathmandu

A violent earthquake hit Nepal on 25th April 2015, injuring and killing thousands. A nurse manager and a nurse, both working in anaesthesia and reservists in the French Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Organisation, describe their mission: one working in the crisis centre in Paris, the other on the ground, providing assistance to French victims.