Jogging Competition and Exercise Research
Yesterday manage to steal some time for my gymnasium routine. Did some weight training and floor exercises for my back. I felt really good after that. Will try to maintain that routine from time to time.
After a long exhaustive week, today we had some fun. It was a bright and beautiful Sunday with the temperature just nice for an outing. The faculty organized a jogging competition cum family day. We were categorized into age groups and of course yours truly was in the `most matured’ group. The run was only for 2.5 km and it took us round the campus to finish off at the cricket ground. I actually came out fifth overall and third among the allied participants. First among the allied participants, was Steve Sherry (he ran like a horse) and second was Al-Jabri. Anyway, it was good fun. After that, we had some games for the families and kids. We finished off the morning with an excellent brunch.
Please view JOGGING PHOTOS HERE
In the afternoon, we had presentation rehearsal for the “prime minister”. My contribution was on the historical perspective of earthquakes in Pakistan and the sub-continent. The overall aim is for the “Disaster Committee” and the “Prime Minster” to formulate policies and strategies in the management of future disasters. In my research, I discovered some interesting facts, such as Pakistan is actually situated right in the middle of a “fault line” of two tectonic plates (Indian and Eurasian Plates). For the last 100 years, the sub-continent had experienced 19 major earthquakes. Most disastrous for Pakistan was the Quetta earthquake in 1935 and the recent earthquake in Kashmir and Northern Area. My counterpart (a naval colleague) did his research on other area of disasters that Pakistan is also prone of, like floods, tsunamis and cyclones. Here I present part of my research.
EARTHQUAKE
Why Earthquake?
1. On 8 October 2005, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale – with its origin just a few kilometers below the city of Muzaffarabad – struck northern Pakistan. The magnitude of the earthquake was such that it collapsed mountains, altered the course of waterways, and wiped entire villages off the face of the earth. The earthquake caused widespread destruction in northern Pakistan, and did some damage in Afghanistan and northern India. The worst hit areas were Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and western and southern parts of the Kashmir valley in the Indian-administered Kashmir. It also affected some parts of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the city of Karachi experienced a minor aftershock of magnitude 4.6. It was a devastating earthquake by any standard, and it resulted in tremendous loss of life and property. Some 400,000 houses were destroyed and over 73,000 people perished – including some 35,000 children. On that fateful Saturday morning, tens of thousands of families lost an entire generation – children who left for school but never returned. Over 135,000 people were injured – mostly women, children and the elderly – with thousands becoming disabled and paraplegics.
2. There have been many secondary earthquakes in the region, mainly to the northwest of the original epicenter. 147 aftershocks were registered in the first day after the initial massive quake that hit at 8:52 am, one of which had a magnitude of 6.2 (a tremor of magnitude six is rated as a "strong" earthquake). Twenty-eight after-shocks occurred with a magnitude greater than five during four days after the principal quake and even eleven days after the big one, there were still major quakes. To date, the Meteorological department said that more than 1,500 aftershocks with intensity of more than 3 on the Richter scale had been recorded since the powerful Oct. 8 earthquake. The latest aftershock, measuring 4.4, was experienced on 09 Feb 06.
3. Pakistan is subject to frequent seismic disturbances because the tectonic plate under the subcontinent hits the plate under Asia as it continues to move northward and pushing the Himalayas even higher. The earth surface is broken into seven large and many small moving map (see map). These plates, each about 50 miles thick, move relative to one another an average of few inches a year. Three types of movement are recognized at the boundaries between plates; convergent, divergent and transform-fault.
4. Map depicting tectonic plates shows India subcontinent and Eurasian landplate divide throughout Pakistan and Kashmir where earthquake activity is common.
5. During the 20th century, improvements in seismic instrumentation and greater use of earthquake-recording instruments (seismographs) worldwide enabled scientists to learn that earthquakes tend to be concentrated in certain areas, most notably along the oceanic trenches and spreading ridges. By the late 1920s, seismologists were beginning to identify several prominent earthquake zones parallel to the trenches that typically were inclined 40-60° from the horizontal and extended several hundred kilometers into the Earth. These zones later became known as Wadati-Benioff zones, or simply Benioff zones, in honor of the seismologists who first recognized them, Kiyoo Wadati of Japan and Hugo Benioff of the United States. The study of global seismicity greatly advanced in the 1960s with the establishment of the Worldwide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) to monitor the compliance of the 1963 treaty banning above-ground testing of nuclear weapons. The much-improved data from the WWSSN instruments allowed seismologists to map precisely the zones of earthquake concentration worldwide. As early as the 1920s, scientists noted that earthquakes are concentrated in very specific narrow zones. In 1954, French seismologist J.P. Rothé published this map (below) showing the concentration of earthquakes along the zones indicated by dots and cross-hatched areas.
Earthquake In Subcontinent
6. For the 21st Century, the subcontinent has witnessed quite a number of devastating earthquakes. In all the earthquakes during past one hundred years the subcontinent has experienced nineteen major earthquakes, as tabled below:
7. The above table indicated the magnitude of each earthquakes against the number of casualties. This, however does not indicate the true strength of the earthquake as obviously casualties alone does not make the criteria of the magnitude, as casualties depend on population density in that given area. Nevertheless, damage due to an earthquake is effected by the following:
a. Earthquake characteristics, that is peak ground acceleration, duration of strong shaking and frequency of shaking motion.
b. Site characteristics, that is:
(1) distance between the origin (epicures) of earthquake,
(2) intervening geology,
(3) soil properties at site,
(4) natural period of vibration of site, and
(5) structural characteristics, that is:
(a) vibration properties of the structure,
(b) condition of structure, and
(c) seismic capability of the structural design.
8. Needlessly, the preceding table showed that the three most devastating earthquakes (in terms of casualties) happened in Kangra (1905), Quetta (1935), Gujarat (2001) and Northern Area of Pakistan (2005).
Kangra
9. The Kangra earthquake of 4 April 1905 in the north-west Himalaya was the first of several devastating 20th century earthquakes to occur in northern India. The Punjab Government estimated that more than 20,000 of its 375,000 epicentral population were killed, and that 100,000 buildings were destroyed by the earthquake. Farming was disrupted by the loss of 53,000 domestic animals and extensive damage to a network of hillside aqueducts that had been constructed over many generations. The economic costs of recovering from the earthquake were estimated at 2.9 million (1905) rupees.
Quetta
10. After great Kangra earthquake of 1905, thirty years later, Quetta was devastated by another great earthquake 30 May 1935. Casualties were far higher than in Kangra and adjoining areas. Nearly 35,000 people are believed to have been killed, most of those fatalities in Quetta alone. This is the deadliest known earthquake in Indian the sub-continent, before the recent earthquake of 8 October 05. Tremors were felt over much of Pakistan and as far away as Agra in India. No uplift was found in thrust faults to the southwest of Quetta by surveys carried out after the earthquake. However, 20 centimeters of uplift was recorded to the west of the town. Ground deformation extended for 105 kilometers from the south side of the Chiltan range to Kalat, which was mostly in the form of 2-20 centimeter cracks in alluvium. The ground on the western side of the cracks near Mastung was found to have risen on average up to 80 centimeters while in some places the earth was heaved up several meters. Near Mastung Road railway station, the cracks ran across the Quetta-Nushki railway and deforming and offsetting the tracks vertically. These cracks indicate that the quake was associated with a zone of faults that run along the eastern edge of the Chiltan range extending southwards toward Mastung and Kalat. This leads to the understanding that the earthquake occurred on a strike-slip fault within the Ghazaband Fault Zone. The 1931 Sharigh and Mach earthquakes which occurred nearby are believed to have increased stresses on a fault in this zone which failed in 1935. An updated epicentral location for this earthquake was derived from P-wave data from 231 stations, using present ISC procedures and is in the vicinity of earlier epicentral locations.11. The town of Quetta saw most of the fatalities, and this earthquake has since been known as the Quetta Earthquake. The civil lines was completely destroyed and up to 15,000 people are thought to have perished here alone. The police lines, the darbar hall, the civil and mission hospitals and the club were ruined. A few reinforced concrete structures and the new railway quarters escaped with minor damage. The cantonment suffered much less damage, but a few buildings did collapse. That too was confined to a kilometer wide stretch that lay along the civil lines and the Durani Nullah, one of two watercourses that ran through the town. The fort was also damaged and many buildings collapsed. In the Royal Air force lines, the hangers at the airfield were all that were left standing though they were badly damaged. Every aircraft was rendered unsafe to fly. Piped water was not disrupted in Quetta and power supply carried on with a restricted load. Up to 26,000 people are believed to have been killed in Quetta alone and a few thousand bodies were left buried in the ruins. Most of the administration in Quetta was killed, but troops from the military base organized rescue quickly. They evacuated survivors and cordoned off the town to prevent looting and the outbreak of epidemic as well as provided protection and salvaging property from destroyed structures. They also carried out mass burials or cremations of the dead. Letters written during that period by survivors contain vivid descriptions of the earthquake and its aftermath.
Gujarat
12. On 26 January 2001 an earthquake registering 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated the Indian state of Gujarat. It was the second largest recorded earthquake in India, the largest being in 1737, and was the worst natural disaster in India in more than 50 years. The earthquake struck at approximately 8.46am local time, so people were up and about and less likely to be trapped in their homes than if it had been earlier. The epicentre was located 80 kilometers north-east of the city of Bhuj and the shock waves or tremors lasted about two minutes, followed by aftershocks for more than a month.
13. The scale of the impact of the earthquake is almost impossible to comprehend. The shock or seismic waves spread out in a 700 kilometer circumference from the epicentre, and within this area the devastation was immense. There were more than 25,000 deaths and 167,000 people injured. Four districts of Gujarat lay in ruin and altogether, 21 districts were affected. Around 300,000 families and at least 3 million children aged 14 and under were affected. Around 600,000 people were left homeless. In the city of Bhuj, more than 3,000 inhabitants of the city lost their lives, the main hospital was crushed and close to 90% of the buildings were destroyed. Nothing was left of the town of Bhachau. The town resembled a quarry. There was significant damage to infrastructure with facilities such as hospitals, schools, electric power and water systems, bridges and roads damaged or destroyed. Many of medically trained personnel died.
14. The response within India was immediate. The national and state governments quickly provided assistance in many forms including cash, medical supplies, communications teams, shelters, food, clothing, transport and relief workers. More than 185 non-government organizations (NGOs), with their trained personnel and volunteers, sprang into action. Search and Rescue teams soon arrived from Switzerland, United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey to find and rescue survivors buried under debris. Relief teams and supplies soon followed from 38 countries as well as United Nations agencies and many international NGOs such as the Red Cross.
Conclusion
15. The 8 October earthquakes taught everybody that earthquake, or any large scale
disaster for that matter, is a fact of life and people have to design ways to cope with it. Although the classical argument has often cited the lack of financial resources as a reason for being unprepared for disasters and the very high economic cost of the disaster, the events following the 8 October disaster and subsequent research on the issue seem to have shown that lack of awareness and appropriate organization are the real reasons for all human and economic costs of disasters.
16. Two important elements emerge which need urgent attention to improve the earthquake safety scenario in Pakistan. Firstly, the institutional development whereby the discipline of earthquake engineering is nurtured and developed at a much larger number of locations, and secondly involvement of professional engineers and architects into the seismic agenda. Quality manpower in earthquake engineering is clearly in short supply and a major effort needs to be made to strengthen the same.
17. In a developing country such as Pakistan, basic poverty issues like food, shelter, health, and education remain the highest priority and natural disaster mitigation does not get the priority that it should. Amongst the major challenges ahead is to sensitize the policy makers, the politicians and the administrators to the issues of earthquake safety. With frequent damaging earthquakes, this is the right time to initiate a sustained and proactive effort in this direction.
After a long exhaustive week, today we had some fun. It was a bright and beautiful Sunday with the temperature just nice for an outing. The faculty organized a jogging competition cum family day. We were categorized into age groups and of course yours truly was in the `most matured’ group. The run was only for 2.5 km and it took us round the campus to finish off at the cricket ground. I actually came out fifth overall and third among the allied participants. First among the allied participants, was Steve Sherry (he ran like a horse) and second was Al-Jabri. Anyway, it was good fun. After that, we had some games for the families and kids. We finished off the morning with an excellent brunch.
Please view JOGGING PHOTOS HERE
In the afternoon, we had presentation rehearsal for the “prime minister”. My contribution was on the historical perspective of earthquakes in Pakistan and the sub-continent. The overall aim is for the “Disaster Committee” and the “Prime Minster” to formulate policies and strategies in the management of future disasters. In my research, I discovered some interesting facts, such as Pakistan is actually situated right in the middle of a “fault line” of two tectonic plates (Indian and Eurasian Plates). For the last 100 years, the sub-continent had experienced 19 major earthquakes. Most disastrous for Pakistan was the Quetta earthquake in 1935 and the recent earthquake in Kashmir and Northern Area. My counterpart (a naval colleague) did his research on other area of disasters that Pakistan is also prone of, like floods, tsunamis and cyclones. Here I present part of my research.
EARTHQUAKE
Why Earthquake?
1. On 8 October 2005, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale – with its origin just a few kilometers below the city of Muzaffarabad – struck northern Pakistan. The magnitude of the earthquake was such that it collapsed mountains, altered the course of waterways, and wiped entire villages off the face of the earth. The earthquake caused widespread destruction in northern Pakistan, and did some damage in Afghanistan and northern India. The worst hit areas were Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and western and southern parts of the Kashmir valley in the Indian-administered Kashmir. It also affected some parts of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the city of Karachi experienced a minor aftershock of magnitude 4.6. It was a devastating earthquake by any standard, and it resulted in tremendous loss of life and property. Some 400,000 houses were destroyed and over 73,000 people perished – including some 35,000 children. On that fateful Saturday morning, tens of thousands of families lost an entire generation – children who left for school but never returned. Over 135,000 people were injured – mostly women, children and the elderly – with thousands becoming disabled and paraplegics.
2. There have been many secondary earthquakes in the region, mainly to the northwest of the original epicenter. 147 aftershocks were registered in the first day after the initial massive quake that hit at 8:52 am, one of which had a magnitude of 6.2 (a tremor of magnitude six is rated as a "strong" earthquake). Twenty-eight after-shocks occurred with a magnitude greater than five during four days after the principal quake and even eleven days after the big one, there were still major quakes. To date, the Meteorological department said that more than 1,500 aftershocks with intensity of more than 3 on the Richter scale had been recorded since the powerful Oct. 8 earthquake. The latest aftershock, measuring 4.4, was experienced on 09 Feb 06.
3. Pakistan is subject to frequent seismic disturbances because the tectonic plate under the subcontinent hits the plate under Asia as it continues to move northward and pushing the Himalayas even higher. The earth surface is broken into seven large and many small moving map (see map). These plates, each about 50 miles thick, move relative to one another an average of few inches a year. Three types of movement are recognized at the boundaries between plates; convergent, divergent and transform-fault.
4. Map depicting tectonic plates shows India subcontinent and Eurasian landplate divide throughout Pakistan and Kashmir where earthquake activity is common.
5. During the 20th century, improvements in seismic instrumentation and greater use of earthquake-recording instruments (seismographs) worldwide enabled scientists to learn that earthquakes tend to be concentrated in certain areas, most notably along the oceanic trenches and spreading ridges. By the late 1920s, seismologists were beginning to identify several prominent earthquake zones parallel to the trenches that typically were inclined 40-60° from the horizontal and extended several hundred kilometers into the Earth. These zones later became known as Wadati-Benioff zones, or simply Benioff zones, in honor of the seismologists who first recognized them, Kiyoo Wadati of Japan and Hugo Benioff of the United States. The study of global seismicity greatly advanced in the 1960s with the establishment of the Worldwide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) to monitor the compliance of the 1963 treaty banning above-ground testing of nuclear weapons. The much-improved data from the WWSSN instruments allowed seismologists to map precisely the zones of earthquake concentration worldwide. As early as the 1920s, scientists noted that earthquakes are concentrated in very specific narrow zones. In 1954, French seismologist J.P. Rothé published this map (below) showing the concentration of earthquakes along the zones indicated by dots and cross-hatched areas.
Earthquake In Subcontinent
6. For the 21st Century, the subcontinent has witnessed quite a number of devastating earthquakes. In all the earthquakes during past one hundred years the subcontinent has experienced nineteen major earthquakes, as tabled below:
7. The above table indicated the magnitude of each earthquakes against the number of casualties. This, however does not indicate the true strength of the earthquake as obviously casualties alone does not make the criteria of the magnitude, as casualties depend on population density in that given area. Nevertheless, damage due to an earthquake is effected by the following:
a. Earthquake characteristics, that is peak ground acceleration, duration of strong shaking and frequency of shaking motion.
b. Site characteristics, that is:
(1) distance between the origin (epicures) of earthquake,
(2) intervening geology,
(3) soil properties at site,
(4) natural period of vibration of site, and
(5) structural characteristics, that is:
(a) vibration properties of the structure,
(b) condition of structure, and
(c) seismic capability of the structural design.
8. Needlessly, the preceding table showed that the three most devastating earthquakes (in terms of casualties) happened in Kangra (1905), Quetta (1935), Gujarat (2001) and Northern Area of Pakistan (2005).
Kangra
9. The Kangra earthquake of 4 April 1905 in the north-west Himalaya was the first of several devastating 20th century earthquakes to occur in northern India. The Punjab Government estimated that more than 20,000 of its 375,000 epicentral population were killed, and that 100,000 buildings were destroyed by the earthquake. Farming was disrupted by the loss of 53,000 domestic animals and extensive damage to a network of hillside aqueducts that had been constructed over many generations. The economic costs of recovering from the earthquake were estimated at 2.9 million (1905) rupees.
Quetta
10. After great Kangra earthquake of 1905, thirty years later, Quetta was devastated by another great earthquake 30 May 1935. Casualties were far higher than in Kangra and adjoining areas. Nearly 35,000 people are believed to have been killed, most of those fatalities in Quetta alone. This is the deadliest known earthquake in Indian the sub-continent, before the recent earthquake of 8 October 05. Tremors were felt over much of Pakistan and as far away as Agra in India. No uplift was found in thrust faults to the southwest of Quetta by surveys carried out after the earthquake. However, 20 centimeters of uplift was recorded to the west of the town. Ground deformation extended for 105 kilometers from the south side of the Chiltan range to Kalat, which was mostly in the form of 2-20 centimeter cracks in alluvium. The ground on the western side of the cracks near Mastung was found to have risen on average up to 80 centimeters while in some places the earth was heaved up several meters. Near Mastung Road railway station, the cracks ran across the Quetta-Nushki railway and deforming and offsetting the tracks vertically. These cracks indicate that the quake was associated with a zone of faults that run along the eastern edge of the Chiltan range extending southwards toward Mastung and Kalat. This leads to the understanding that the earthquake occurred on a strike-slip fault within the Ghazaband Fault Zone. The 1931 Sharigh and Mach earthquakes which occurred nearby are believed to have increased stresses on a fault in this zone which failed in 1935. An updated epicentral location for this earthquake was derived from P-wave data from 231 stations, using present ISC procedures and is in the vicinity of earlier epicentral locations.11. The town of Quetta saw most of the fatalities, and this earthquake has since been known as the Quetta Earthquake. The civil lines was completely destroyed and up to 15,000 people are thought to have perished here alone. The police lines, the darbar hall, the civil and mission hospitals and the club were ruined. A few reinforced concrete structures and the new railway quarters escaped with minor damage. The cantonment suffered much less damage, but a few buildings did collapse. That too was confined to a kilometer wide stretch that lay along the civil lines and the Durani Nullah, one of two watercourses that ran through the town. The fort was also damaged and many buildings collapsed. In the Royal Air force lines, the hangers at the airfield were all that were left standing though they were badly damaged. Every aircraft was rendered unsafe to fly. Piped water was not disrupted in Quetta and power supply carried on with a restricted load. Up to 26,000 people are believed to have been killed in Quetta alone and a few thousand bodies were left buried in the ruins. Most of the administration in Quetta was killed, but troops from the military base organized rescue quickly. They evacuated survivors and cordoned off the town to prevent looting and the outbreak of epidemic as well as provided protection and salvaging property from destroyed structures. They also carried out mass burials or cremations of the dead. Letters written during that period by survivors contain vivid descriptions of the earthquake and its aftermath.
Gujarat
12. On 26 January 2001 an earthquake registering 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated the Indian state of Gujarat. It was the second largest recorded earthquake in India, the largest being in 1737, and was the worst natural disaster in India in more than 50 years. The earthquake struck at approximately 8.46am local time, so people were up and about and less likely to be trapped in their homes than if it had been earlier. The epicentre was located 80 kilometers north-east of the city of Bhuj and the shock waves or tremors lasted about two minutes, followed by aftershocks for more than a month.
13. The scale of the impact of the earthquake is almost impossible to comprehend. The shock or seismic waves spread out in a 700 kilometer circumference from the epicentre, and within this area the devastation was immense. There were more than 25,000 deaths and 167,000 people injured. Four districts of Gujarat lay in ruin and altogether, 21 districts were affected. Around 300,000 families and at least 3 million children aged 14 and under were affected. Around 600,000 people were left homeless. In the city of Bhuj, more than 3,000 inhabitants of the city lost their lives, the main hospital was crushed and close to 90% of the buildings were destroyed. Nothing was left of the town of Bhachau. The town resembled a quarry. There was significant damage to infrastructure with facilities such as hospitals, schools, electric power and water systems, bridges and roads damaged or destroyed. Many of medically trained personnel died.
14. The response within India was immediate. The national and state governments quickly provided assistance in many forms including cash, medical supplies, communications teams, shelters, food, clothing, transport and relief workers. More than 185 non-government organizations (NGOs), with their trained personnel and volunteers, sprang into action. Search and Rescue teams soon arrived from Switzerland, United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey to find and rescue survivors buried under debris. Relief teams and supplies soon followed from 38 countries as well as United Nations agencies and many international NGOs such as the Red Cross.
Conclusion
15. The 8 October earthquakes taught everybody that earthquake, or any large scale
disaster for that matter, is a fact of life and people have to design ways to cope with it. Although the classical argument has often cited the lack of financial resources as a reason for being unprepared for disasters and the very high economic cost of the disaster, the events following the 8 October disaster and subsequent research on the issue seem to have shown that lack of awareness and appropriate organization are the real reasons for all human and economic costs of disasters.
16. Two important elements emerge which need urgent attention to improve the earthquake safety scenario in Pakistan. Firstly, the institutional development whereby the discipline of earthquake engineering is nurtured and developed at a much larger number of locations, and secondly involvement of professional engineers and architects into the seismic agenda. Quality manpower in earthquake engineering is clearly in short supply and a major effort needs to be made to strengthen the same.
17. In a developing country such as Pakistan, basic poverty issues like food, shelter, health, and education remain the highest priority and natural disaster mitigation does not get the priority that it should. Amongst the major challenges ahead is to sensitize the policy makers, the politicians and the administrators to the issues of earthquake safety. With frequent damaging earthquakes, this is the right time to initiate a sustained and proactive effort in this direction.
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