﻿MEMOIRS 
  

  

  OF 
  

  

  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  INDIA. 
  

  

  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Earthquake 
  of 
  12th 
  June 
  1897, 
  by 
  R. 
  D. 
  

   Oldham, 
  A. 
  R. 
  S. 
  M., 
  F. 
  G. 
  S., 
  Superintendent, 
  Geological 
  

   Survey 
  of 
  India. 
  

  

  Chapter 
  I.— 
  INTRODUCTORY. 
  

  

  At 
  about 
  quarter 
  past 
  five 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  12th 
  June 
  1897, 
  

   there 
  burst 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  Assam 
  an 
  earthquake 
  which, 
  

   for 
  violence 
  and 
  extent, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  surpassed 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  

   which 
  we 
  have 
  historic 
  record. 
  Lasting 
  about 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  min* 
  

   utes, 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  ceased 
  at 
  Shillong 
  before 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  150,000 
  square 
  

   miles 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  in 
  ruins, 
  all 
  means 
  of 
  communication 
  interrupted, 
  

   the 
  hills 
  rent 
  and 
  cast 
  down 
  in 
  landslips, 
  and 
  the 
  plains 
  fissured 
  and 
  

   riddled 
  with 
  vents, 
  from 
  which 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  poured 
  out 
  in 
  most 
  

   astounding 
  quantities 
  ; 
  and 
  ten 
  minutes 
  had 
  not 
  elapsed 
  from 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  Shillong 
  was 
  laid 
  in 
  ruins 
  before 
  about 
  one 
  and 
  three- 
  

   quarter 
  millions 
  of 
  square 
  miles 
  had 
  felt 
  a 
  shock 
  which 
  was 
  every- 
  

   where 
  recognised 
  as 
  one 
  quite 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  common. 
  

  

  The 
  earthquake 
  found 
  the 
  geological 
  survey 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  un- 
  

   prepared 
  for 
  it. 
  Of 
  the 
  officers 
  available 
  for 
  despatch 
  into 
  the 
  

   earthquake 
  shaken 
  tracks, 
  there 
  was 
  but 
  one 
  who 
  had 
  paid 
  any 
  

   special 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  earthquakes, 
  or 
  had 
  any 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  required, 
  beyond 
  such 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  

   ■obtained 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  curriculum 
  of 
  a 
  geological 
  student. 
  The 
  

  

  B 
  ( 
  I 
  ) 
  

  

  