Earthquakes in Jharkhand, India

State - Jharkhand, India
Capital - Ranchi
Population - 26,909,428 (2001)

Population per district (Top 5)
Ranchi - pop. 2,785,064
Dhanbad - pop. 2,397,102
Hazaribagh - pop. 2,277,475
Palamau - pop. 2,098,359
Purbi Singhbhum - pop. 1,982,988

Earthquake History
Recently Jharkhand has not moderate to large earthquakes. Small tremors have occurred in the region as well as along the borders with the adjoining states of Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. The Tatapani Fault in the the western part of the state has been active (1) since the Holocene period and extends across the border into the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh. The Munger-Saharsa Ridge Marginal Fault (1) runs in a north-south direction through the eastern districts of the state before entering West Bengal. However, it must be stated that proximity to faults does not necessarily translate into a higher hazard as compared to areas located further away, as damage from earthquakes depends on numerous factors such as subsurface geology as well as adherence to the building codes.

Seismic Hazard

The seismic hazard map of India was updated in 2000 (3) by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). With the exception of the merging of Zones I and II, there are no major changes in the new map with regards to the BIS 1984 map. Northern districts of Jharkhand that lie along the border with the neighbouring state of Bihar as well as the districts in the north-eastern part of the state lie in Zone III. The maximum intensity expected in these areas would be around MSK VII. All of the southern districts including the cities of Ranchi and Jamshedpur lie in Zone II. The maximum intensity expected in these areas would be around MSK VI. Since the earthquake database in India is still incomplete, especially with regards to earthquakes prior to the historical period (before 1800 A.D.), these zones offer a rough guide of the earthquake hazard in any particular region and need to be regularly updated (See also: GSHAP Hazard Map for Jharkhand).
 

Largest Instrumented Earthquake in Jharkhand
05 August 1979 - Dublabera-Majhgaon area, Jharkhand, Mb 4.7 (1).
22.100 N, 84.900 E, OT=01:18:37 UTC (1)
This event is located along the state border between Jharkhand and Orissa, near the town of Daspur in north-eastern Orissa.

Significant Earthquakes  in Jharkhand
The following list briefly outlines known earthquakes in this region which either had observed intensities of V or higher (historical events) or had known magnitudes of M4.5 or more (instrumented events). General locations are provided for historical events for which "generalized" epicentral co-ordinates are available. Some events which were significant for other reasons are also included. This list will be updated whenever newer information is available. Please note that Magnitude and Intensity are NOT THE SAME. All events are within the state or union territory covered on this page unless stated otherwise.

Acronyms Used:
D=Depth, OT=Origin Time, Mw=Moment Magnitude, Ms=Surface Wave magnitude, Mb=Body Wave Magnitude, ML=Local Magnitude, M?=Magnitude Type unknown

31 July 1868 - Daru Kharika-Hazaribagh area, Jharkhand.
24.000 N, 85.500 E (1)
Maximum observed intensity VI (4).

08 May 1963 - Bijakuli-Banei area, Orissa, Mb 5.2 (1)
21.700 N, 84.900 E, D=033.0 kms, OT=14:15:03 UTC (1)
This area is located to the east of Sambalpur in Orissa. A higher magnitude of 6.0 is often listed for this event (5).

05 August 1979 - Dublabera-Majhgaon area, Jharkhand, Mb 4.7 (1).
22.100 N, 84.900 E, OT=01:18:37 UTC (1)
This event is located along the state border between Jharkhand and Orissa, near the town of Daspur in north-eastern Orissa.

17 February 1985 - Rajauli area, Bihar, Mb 4.7 (1).
24.670 N, 85.480 E, OT=23:06:55 UTC (1)
This event is located along the state border between Jharkhand and Bihar, near the town of Rajauli in southern Bihar.

20 October 2003 - Dhanbad area, Jharkhand, Mb 4.3
23.884 N, 86.324 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=00:39:48 UTC
A light earthquake struck eastern parts of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand, on 20 October 2003 at 06:09 AM local time causing minor damage to some buildings and some panic the coal mining townships in and around Dhanbad. The earthquake had a magnitude of Mb=4.3.

21 March 2007 - Latehar-Lohardaga border, Jharkhand, M 3.3
23.900 N, 84.800 E, D=039.0 kms, OT=16:34:35 UTC
A mild earthquake struck the adjacent border regions of the districts of Latehar and Lohardaga, Jharkhand, on 21 March 2007 at 22:04 PM local time. It had a magnitude of M?=3.3 and was felt in many parts of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau causing minor damage.

26 March 2009 - Chakradharpur-Chaibasa, Jharkhand, Mb 4.1
22.677 N, 85.734 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=04:44:09 UTC
A mild earthquake struck Paschimi Singhbhum district in Jharkhand, on 26 March 2009 at 10:14 AM local time. It had a magnitude of Mb=4.1 and was felt in many parts of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau causing a few injuries and some panic.