1950 quake that broke mountains is a portend of things to come , Pg II.

Key Highlights:

• On August 15, 1950, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck Northeast India and neighboring regions.
• The earthquake was felt over 3 million sq. km across India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Tibet, and South China.
• Over 1,500 people died on the Indian side, and 50,000 to 1,00,000 cattle were killed.
• The earthquake's source was 40 km west of Rima (Zayu), near the India-Tibet border in the Mishmi hills.
• The Central Himalayas are identified as the most potentially active segment for future earthquakes.

Detailed Insights:

• The 1950 Great Assam Earthquake occurred along the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian Plates collided, near the eastern terminus of the Himalayas.
• The earthquake had a component of strike-slip motion, unlike other Himalayan earthquakes with a thrusting mechanism.
• GPS data indicates the Indian and Eurasian continental plates converge at about 20 mm/year on average across the Himalayas, but it ranges from 10 mm to 38 mm/year in the Eastern Himalayas.
• The Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS), formed by major structural elements taking sharp turns due to plate rotation, is where the Great Assam Earthquake likely occurred.
• The event highlighted increased vulnerability due to the growth of the built environment and urban areas, emphasizing the need to reflect on the potential impact of developmental activities and infrastructural projects in the tectonically fragile area.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Plate Tectonics: The theory explaining the structure of the Earth's crust and its movement through the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates [i].
• Seismic Waves: Elastic waves that travel through the Earth, produced by earthquakes and other seismic events [i].
• Strike-Slip Motion: A type of fault movement where the blocks slide past each other horizontally [i].