Hazardous Effects of Earthquake (2)

(ii) Damage to Life and property
Structures such as buildings, roads, rails, factories, dams, bridges suffer a huge damage thus causing a heavy loss of human life and property both. The vibrations of earthquakes last longer and the amplitudes of seismic waves are greater artificially in filled and leveled depressions, swamp deposits etc. than in the structures of consolidated materials and bedrocks.

Two major earthquakes of Bihar-Nepal border in 1934 and 1988 explain the impact of earthquake disasters on human structures and human lives. The damage caused by the Bihar earthquake of 15 January 1934, measuring 8.4 on Richter scale, include 10,700 human deaths, landslides and slumping in an area of 250 km length and 60 km width, ruptures and faults in the ground surface etc.