Page 132 - SST Class 07

survivors were dried and there remained a blank buildings, all collapsed like a pack of cards. Bhuj
look on their faces. district was the worst affected. About 550 village
Loss of Property : Property worth billions of were wiped off the map. All two-storied buildings
rupees was destroyed. Hundreds of villages were of Bhuj were flattened. Even in Ahmedabad,
slashed to the ground, with not a single wall quite far away from the epicenter of the earth-
standing. This deathquake spared neither the rich quake, 131 building collapsed, burying many
nor the poor. From huts to palatial high rise people under the debris.

CHANGES ON THE SURFACE Many small streams also came out of the
Many changes were seen on the surface after the ground.
earthquake of January 26, 2001. The three 3. Uneven Surface : At several places some
following changes were clearly seen. portion of the surface moved down and the
1. Cracks : Huge, long and wide cracks adjoining portion moved up. This made the
surface undulating.
developed in fields and roads. The cracks in
roads hampered the smooth flow of traffic Cause of the Earthquake
and relief. The exact cause of the January 26, 2001 earth-
2. Origin of a River and Springs : A quake is not known. Gujarat lies away from the
hundred kilometre long and 80 metre wide margin of the Indo-Australian Plate. This was an
new river was seen flowing. The water rose intraplate earthquake and had several faults criss-
from the cracks and started flowing in the crossing the state of Gujarat. The reactivation of
form of a river in the Rann of Kachchh. the fault near Anjar and Bhachao seems to be
the cause of this disastrous event.

Thrust Fault (converget) Strike-Slip Fault (transform)
Normal Fault (divergent)

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