NoemiConley374 at 13:55, 27 March 2026

2026-03-27T13:55:07Z

New page

{{Short description|Earthquake in India}}
{{Infobox earthquake
| name = 1803 Garhwal earthquake
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| map =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| location = {{coord|30.656|N|78.784|E|display=inline,title}}
| map2 = {{Location map+|India
| places =
{{Location map~|India|lat=30.656|long=78.784|mark=Bullseye1.png|marksize=50}}
| relief = yes
| width = 250
| float = center|border=infobox
| caption = }}
| timestamp =
| isc-event =
| anss-url =
| local-date = 1 September 1803
| local-time = 01:30<ref name="Himalayan earthquakes"/>
| duration =
| magnitude = {{M|w|link=yes}} 7.8 ± 0.2
| depth =
| fault = [[Main Himalayan Thrust]]
| type = [[Fault (geology)|Thrust]] ([[Blind thrust earthquake|Blind]])
| affected = [[India]] & [[Pakistan]]
| damages =
| intensity = {{MMI|9}}<br>{{MSK-64|X}}
| pga =
| pgv =
| tsunami =
| landslide =
| foreshocks =
| aftershocks =
| casualties = 200–300 dead
| citations =
| pre-1900 = yes
}}

The '''1803 Garhwal earthquake''' occurred in the early morning of September 1 at 01:30 [[Time in India|local time]]. The estimated 7.8-magnitude-earthquake had an epicenter in the [[Garhwal Himalaya]] near [[Uttarkashi]], [[British India]]. Major damage occurred in the Himalaya and [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]], with the loss of between 200 and 300 lives.<ref name="NGDC">{{cite web |title=Significant Earthquake Information |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1563 |website=ngdc.noaa.gov |publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=16 November 2021}}</ref> It is among the largest Himalaya earthquakes of the 19th-century, caused by [[thrust fault]]ing.

==Tectonic setting==
The Himalaya is located at the [[convergent boundary]] where active convergence leads to [[continental collision]]. The India and Eurasian plates began colliding approximately 50 million years ago when the [[Tethys Ocean]] closed. The [[Main Himalayan Thrust]] (MHT), a [[decollement]] structure, defines the boundary between the [[Indian plate]] and [[Eurasian plate]]. The convergent zone also contains three other major faults; the [[Main Boundary Thrust]], [[Main Central Thrust]] and [[South Tibetan Detachment]]. At the surface, the Main Himalayan Thrust propagates along the [[Main Frontal Thrust]] (MFT). These faults runs for approximately 2,300 km in an east–west direction, parallel to the southern foothills of the [[Lower Himalayan Range]] from [[Assam]], through [[Nepal]], and into [[Pakistan]]. This major [[thrust fault]] dips to the north, beneath the Himalaya at a shallow angle. It is the source of most of Himalayan earthquakes.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Metcalfe|first=John|date=14 June 2016|title=Study: Nepal Could Be Due for Another Major Earthquake|publisher=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-13/nepal-could-be-hit-by-another-major-earthquake-say-scientists|access-date=12 Dec 2020}}</ref><ref name="Himalayan earthquakes">{{cite journal |last1=Bilham |first1=Roger |title=Himalayan earthquakes: a review of historical seismicity and early 21st century slip potential |journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications |date=2019 |volume=483 |issue=1 |pages=423–482 |doi=10.1144/SP483.16 |bibcode=2019GSLSP.483..423B |url=https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/483/1/423 |access-date=23 April 2021|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Earthquakes on the convergent boundary are megathrust events that repeat every few centuries. Large Himalayan earthquakes including those in [[1505 Lo Mustang earthquake|1505]], [[1934 Nepal–India earthquake|1934]] and [[1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake|1950]] with magnitudes of 8.0+ were the result of rupturing the Main Himalayan Thrust. These events generated surface ruptures by breaching the surface via the MFT.

==Impact==
[[File:Kuttull Minor, Delhi. The Qutb Minar, an aquatint by Thomas Daniell, 1805.jpg|200px|thumb|right|An artwork of the [[Qutub Minar]] in 1805.]]
At [[Srinagar, Uttarakhand|Srinagar]] in the [[meizoseismal area]], an estimated 500–1,000 homes were destroyed, and a [[landslide]] occurred. Ground [[fissure]]s and [[liquefaction]] events took place in [[Mathura]], near [[Aligarh]] and [[Agra]].<ref name="Verma">{{cite journal |author1=Mithila Verma |author2=R. J. Singh |author3=B. K. Bansal |title=Soft sediments and damage pattern: a few case studies from large Indian earthquakes vis-a-vis seismic risk evaluation |journal=Natural Hazards |date=19 June 2014 |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=1829–1851 |doi=10.1007/s11069-014-1283-4|bibcode=2014NatHa..74.1829V |s2cid=129230290 }}</ref> An estimated 200–300 people died due to collapsing roofs. Partial damage occurred in the towns [[Devprayag]], [[Joshimath]], [[Badrinath]] and [[Almora]]. A landslide buried the small village and fort on the eastern bank of the [[Yamuna River]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref name="Verma" />

The shaking was strongly felt in [[Mathura]] and lasted several minutes. It destroyed many [[pucca homes]] in the city. Many residents were driven out of their homes, and into the streets or agricultural fields. A pregnant woman died after being struck by falling tiles.<ref name="Dasgupta_a" /> Large fissures occurred in fields, spilling vast quantities of water. One of the fissures partially swallowed the [[dome]] of a mosque. The fissures continued to eject water for several weeks, benefitting the residents who were able to obtain water.<ref name="Dasgupta_a">{{cite journal |author1=Sujit Dasgupta |author2=Basab Mukhopadhyay |title=1803 Earthquake in Garhwal Himalaya – Archival Materials With Commentary |journal=Indian Journal of History of Science |date=2014 |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=21–33 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/212591301/1803-EARTHQUAKE-IN-GARHWAL-HIMALAYA-ARCHIVAL-MATERIALS-WITH-COMMENTARY |publisher=[[Scribd]]}}</ref>

The Hindu [[Badrinath Temple]] suffered severe damage from the quake.<ref name="Sharma">{{cite news |author1=Vikram Sharma |title=Uttarakhand has a history of earthquakes but nobody cares! |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/feb/23/uttarakhand-has-a-history-of-earthquakes-but-nobody-cares-1573958.html |access-date=16 November 2021 |agency=[[The New Indian Express]] |date=23 February 2017}}</ref> Several temples, including the [[Kashi Vishwanath Temple]] in [[Uttarkashi]], and [[Tungnath]], were totally destroyed.<ref name="Sandiford">{{cite journal |author1=[[C. P. Rajendran]] |author2=[[Kusala Rajendran]] |author3=Jaishri Sanwal |author4=Mike Sandiford |title=Archeological and Historical Database on the Medieval Earthquakes of the Central Himalaya: Ambiguities and Inferences |journal=[[Seismological Research Letters]] |date=2013 |volume=84 |issue=6 |page=1098 |doi=10.1785/0220130077 |bibcode=2013SeiRL..84.1098R |url=http://www.seismosoc.org/Publications/srl/SRL_84/srl_84-6_hs_II/srl_84-6_hs_II.pdf}}</ref>

The earthquake occurred at the beginning of the [[Siege of Aligarh]] during [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]]. [[Aligarh Fort]] was captured by the [[British East India Company]] from the [[Marathi people]] and [[French India|French]]. The siege came to an end because the severely damage fort walls were breached, easing capture for the British.<ref name="Bilham">{{cite journal |author1=Roger Bilham |title=Historical Studies of Earthquakes in India |journal=Annals of Geophysics |date=2004 |citeseerx=10.1.1.554.5602 }}</ref><ref name="riskavoider.com">{{cite web |title=1803 Garhwal Earthquake: Implications for western UP and NCR |url=https://riskavoider.com/1803-garhwal-earthquake/ |website=Risk Prevention Mitigation and Management Forum |access-date=16 November 2021 |date=30 August 2021}}</ref>

At [[New Delhi]], a [[cupola]] in the [[Qutb Minar]] collapsed and the main column was structurally weakened.<ref name="Page & Sharma">{{cite book |author1=J. A. Page |author2=Y. D. Sharma |title=World Heritage Series: Qutb Minar & Adjoining Monuments |date=2002 |publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-87780-07-X |page=54 |url=https://ia801001.us.archive.org/24/items/QutbMinarAndAdjoiningMonuments-English/QutbMinarAndAdjoiningAreas.pdf}}</ref> Reports documented that the spire of the [[Khanqah-e-Moula]] in [[Kashmir Valley]]'s [[Srinagar]] also collapsed, although it may have been a conflation with a previous earthquake. Fissuring was also observed in the city. [[Seiche]]s in a water tank at the [[Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden]] in [[Calcutta]] caused by the quake was strong enough to throw fishes out of their aquarium.<ref name="Dasgupta_b">{{cite web |author1=Sujit Dasgupta |title=The 1803 North India earthquake |url=https://sites.google.com/site/indiaquake2/the-1803-north-india-earthquake |website=Indiaquake |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>

==Earthquake==
The earthquake is believed to have [[earthquake rupture|ruptured]] the MHT but did not propagate to the surface. It shared similar characteristics with the [[1905 Kangra earthquake|1905 Kangra]] and the two [[2015 Nepal earthquake]]s; all three events failed to rupture the MHT, hence did not produce any [[surface rupture]]. This [[blind thrust earthquake]] is the largest in the Indian Himalaya during the 19th-century. Another similar-sized event [[1833 Bihar–Nepal earthquake|occurred in Nepal in August 1833]]. This earthquake was located immediately east of the great 1505 earthquake rupture zone.<ref name="Rajendran et al.">{{cite journal |author1=[[C. P. Rajendran]] |author2=Biju John |author3=K. Anandasabari |author4=Jaishri Sanwal |author5=Kusala Rajendran |author6=Pankaj Kumar |author7=Sundeep Chopra |title=On the paleoseismic evidence of the 1803 earthquake rupture (or lack of it) along the frontal thrust of the Kumaun Himalaya |journal=Tectonophysics |date=2018 |volume=772 |pages=227–234 |doi=10.1016/j.tecto.2017.11.012 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040195117304742|publisher=[[Elsevier]]|bibcode=2018Tectp.722..227R |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Two smaller earthquakes; the [[1991 Uttarkashi earthquake|1991 Uttarkashi]] and [[1999 Chamoli earthquake]]s, also occurred in the epicenter region of the 1803 event.

Descriptions of severe damage and ground effects from the event suggest the [[earthquake rupture]] initiated beneath the Himalaya range, and propagated south; up-dip along the MHT in a northwest–southeast direction.<ref name="Himalayan earthquakes" /> The rupture ceased just short of the MFT.<ref name="Rajendran et al." /> [[Coulomb stress transfer|Accumulated stress]] to the east caused by the 1505 event was released during the 1803 quake. An estimated maximum coseismic slip of 4.5 meters or less occurred. Since then, roughly 3 meters of slip have accumulated. The two earthquakes in 1991 and 1999 failed to release the seismic strain accumulated since the 1803 event.<ref name="Himalayan earthquakes" />

The [[moment magnitude]] was previously assigned 8.0 in past [[academic journal]]s{{Example needed||date=July 2022}} based on damage descriptions and felt reports from the historical documentation, but more recent reassessments indicate a much smaller magnitude of 7.8.<ref name="Rajendran et al." /> The earthquake magnitude has even been downgraded to 7.3 in some journals.<ref name="Rajendran & Rajendran" />

A macroseismic intensity survey from 1979 assigned the holy city [[Badrinath]] with VII (''Very strong'')–IX (''Violent'')-level shaking on the [[Modified Mercalli intensity scale]]. A 2005 journal by geologist [[C. P. Rajendran]] and seismologist [[Kusala Rajendran]] published in ''[[Tectonophysics (journal)|Tectonophysics]]'' assigned the maximum [[Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale]] intensity at IX–X in [[Srinagar, Uttarakhand|Srinagar]] and [[Devprayag]].<ref name="Rajendran & Rajendran">{{cite journal |author1=[[C. P. Rajendran]] |author2=[[Kusala Rajendran]] |title=The status of central seismic gap: A perspective based on the spatial and temporal aspects of the large Himalayan earthquakes |journal=[[Tectonophysics (journal)|Tectonophysics]] |date=2005 |volume=395 |issue=1 |pages=19–39|doi=10.1016/j.tecto.2004.09.009|bibcode=2005Tectp.395...19R |url=https://www.academia.edu/1844741}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of earthquakes in Nepal]]
*[[List of earthquakes in India]]
*[[List of historical earthquakes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Himalayan earthquakes}}
{{Earthquakes in India}}
{{Uttarakhand|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garhwal earthquake}}
[[Category:Earthquakes in India]]
[[Category:Earthquakes in Tibet]]
[[Category:Disasters in Uttarakhand|1803 Garhwal earthquake]]
[[Category:1803 disasters]]
[[Category:1803 in India]]
[[Category:1800s disasters in Asia]]
[[Category:19th-century disasters in India]]
[[Category:Buried rupture earthquakes]]
[[Category:History of Garhwal]]
[[Category:September 1803]]
[[Category:1800s earthquakes]]

1803 Garhwal earthquake - Revision history

NoemiConley374 at 13:55, 27 March 2026