Earthquakes in Odisha, India

State - Odisha (formerly Orissa), India
Capital - Bhubaneswar
Population - 36,706,920 (2001)

Population per district (Top 5)
Ganjam - pop. 3,016,930
Cuttack - pop. 2,810,436
Mayurbhanj - pop. 1,998,355
Baleswar - pop. 1,972,094
Khurda - pop. 1,317,431

Earthquake History
Historically Odisha has experienced very few moderate to large earthquakes. Some events with magnitudes in excess of 5.0 have originated in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of the state. Several faults have been identified in the region and some (4) have shown evidence of movement during the Holocene epoch. The Brahmani Fault (4) in the vicinity of Bonaigarh is among then. The Mahanadi also flows through a graben structure. Several deep-seated faults (4) are situated beneath the Mahanadi Delta. 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 (8) by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). There are no major changes in the zones in Odisha with the exception of the merging of Zones I and II in the 1984 BIS map. Districts that lie in the Mahanadi river valley lie in Zone III, and within Odisha this zone stretches from Jharsuguda along the border with Chhatisgarh in a south-easterly direction towards the urban centres of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on the Mahanadi Delta. The maximum intensity expected in these areas would be around MSK VII. Districts in the north and south-west of the state lie in Zone II. 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 Odisha).
 

Largest Instrumented Earthquake in Odisha
08 May 1963 - Bijakuli-Banei area, Odisha, Mb 5.2 (4)
21.700 N, 84.900 E, D=033.0 kms, OT=14:15:03 UTC (4)
This area is located to the east of Sambalpur. A higher magnitude of 6.0 is often listed for this event (14).

Significant Earthquakes  in Odisha
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

26 August 1676 - Balasore area, Odisha.
Maximum observed intensity IV (16). Felt distinctly (16) in the town as well as on ships in the harbour at around five in the morning local time. A uniform time was not implemented in India until 1905, so do not convert the above stated time into Indian Standard Time.

15 June 1837 - Rambha-Paluru area, Odisha.
19.500 N, 85.100 E (13)
Maximum observed intensity VI (13). This area is located on the southern shore of the Chilka Lake, to the north-east Behrampur.

16 March 1858 - Baleshwar-Chandipur area, Odisha.
21.500 N, 87.000 E (3)
Maximum observed intensity V (3).

25 February 1860 - Karantola area, Odisha.
19.400 N, 84.900 E (13)
Maximum observed intensity V (13). This area is located to the north-east of Behrampur.

17 June 1891 - Near Palmyras Point, Odisha.
20.800 N, 87.000 E (3)
Maximum observed intensity V (3). This area is located east of Dhamara at the mouth of the Brahmani River.

08 May 1963 - Bijakuli-Banei area, Odisha, Mb 5.2 (4)
21.700 N, 84.900 E, D=033.0 kms, OT=14:15:03 UTC (4)
This area is located to the east of Sambalpur. A higher magnitude of 6.0 is often listed for this event (14).

05 August 1979 - Dublabera-Majhgaon area, Jharkhand, Mb 4.7 (4).
22.100 N, 84.900 E, OT=01:18:37 UTC (4)
This event is located along the state border between Jharkhand and Odisha, near the town of Daspur in north-eastern Odisha.

08 April 1982 - Bay of Bengal, Mw 5.2 (17).
18.510 N, 86.310 E, D=024.0 kms, OT=02:41:16 UTC (4)
This event was centred in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located roughly 150 kilometres south of Puri, Odisha and 188 kms east of Baruva, Andhra Pradesh.

14 October 1982 - Khajuripada-Banigochha area, Odisha, Mb 4.7 (4).
20.390 N, 84.420 E, OT=12:56:09 UTC (4)
This area is located about 140 kilometres to the west of Bhubaneswar.

01 July 1985 - Bay of Bengal, Mw 5.4 (17)
18.367 N, 87.188 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=02:23:52 UTC (15)
This event was centred in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located roughly 214 kilometres south-east of Puri, Odisha and 280 kms east of Baruva, Andhra Pradesh.

27 March 1995 - Laimura-Deogarh area, Odisha, Mb 4.6 (15)
21.671 N, 84.565 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=07:52:10.60 UTC (15)
This area is located to the east of Sambalpur. This earthquake is called the Bonaigarh earthquake (4). A maximum MSK intensity (4) of V was observed. Many buildings were damaged (4) at Bonaigarh and Deogarh.

21 June 1995 - Kasijodi-Nuakot area, Odisha, Mb 4.7 (15)
21.780 N, 85.327 E, D=033.0 kms, OT=18:35:41.23 UTC (15)
This area is located to the north-west of Keonjhargarh and to the south-east of Rourkela.

12 June 2001 - Konokjora-Sundargarh area, Odisha, Mw 4.7
22.240 N, 83.918 E, D=025.5 kms, OT=12:41:00 UTC
A light earthquake struck the Sundergarh region in western Odisha, on 12 July 2001 at 18:11 PM local time and was felt in many parts of the region, including in adjoining parts of Chhattisgarh. It had a magnitude of Mw=4.7.