A 6.4 earthquake hit the Pakistani province of Balochistan on October 29, 2008.The earthquake occurred 60 km north of Quetta and 185 km southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan at 04:09 am local time. There were aftershocks throughout the day including a powerful tremor (magnitude 6.4, depth of 10 km) at about 5.30pm local time. Several villages were reduced to rubble. More than 200 people were injured and 120,000 people were made homeless. 215 were confirmed dead. The earthquake epicenter was 70 miles north of Quetta and about 370 miles southwest of Islamabad.

In response to the earthquake, the local government dispatched the military to help in relief aid. They accessed damage and aided victims. Military helicopters flew in relief supplies but there was limited distribution of aid that day, leaving shortages of food, water, blankets and tents.

This earthquake is a result of the Indian plate moving northward and colliding with the Eurasian plate. The Indian plate subducted beneath the Eurasian plate and caused an uplift along the northern edge of the Indian subcontinent. A strike-slip fault caused this earthquake.

I think that the construction company should not try to cut costs by putting items such as biscuits tins inside pillars and walls instead of bricks and cement. As such, the pillar which is a support for the building will crumble easily when an earthquake occurs. They should also build the buildings foundation strong. By doing this, we can minimize the damages from these events.

Done by:Albertina Tay(35)
1 Diligence


Picture source:
http://dmaweb2.jrc.it/services/dmaexplorer/?Box=64.36:28.7:70.36:32.7&Addon=EQ&X=67.36&Y=30.7

Bibliography

Saeed Shah
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/29/pakistan-earthquake1
extracted 7-2-10

Unknown Author
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Pakistan_earthquake
extracted 7-2-10

Unknown Author
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake
extracted 7-2-10