﻿Il6 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1 
  897. 
  

  

  stone 
  shone 
  clear 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  in 
  an 
  apparently 
  unbroken 
  stretch 
  of 
  

   about 
  20 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west. 
  Beyond 
  this, 
  the 
  land- 
  

   slips, 
  though 
  still 
  large 
  and 
  conspicuous 
  grew 
  gradually 
  fewer, 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  here 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   turbance. 
  

  

  The 
  true 
  explanation, 
  however, 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  physical 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  

   hills, 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  greater 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  It 
  

   is 
  in 
  about 
  91 
  E. 
  Long, 
  that 
  the 
  hills 
  rise 
  highest 
  and 
  most 
  abruptly 
  

   from 
  the 
  plains, 
  and, 
  being 
  composed 
  largely 
  of 
  soft 
  nummulitic 
  and 
  

   supra-nummulitic 
  rocks, 
  are 
  more 
  easily 
  broken 
  into 
  landslips. 
  To 
  

   the 
  west, 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  low 
  hills 
  separates 
  the 
  high 
  hills 
  from 
  the 
  plains, 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  decreases 
  in 
  a 
  marked 
  manner 
  

   beyond 
  Cherrapunji. 
  Eastwards 
  of 
  this 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  myself, 
  

   but 
  according 
  to 
  accounts 
  received 
  the 
  landslips, 
  though 
  still 
  fairly 
  

   numerous, 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  so 
  than 
  those 
  near 
  Cherrapunji. 
  

  

  At 
  Cherrapunji 
  the 
  deep 
  valleys 
  are 
  scored 
  by 
  landslips 
  to 
  a 
  

   striking 
  degree, 
  so 
  much 
  so, 
  that 
  when 
  looked 
  at 
  from 
  a 
  distance 
  

   there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  landslip 
  than 
  untouched 
  hillside. 
  It 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  detect 
  any 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  frequency 
  of 
  the 
  

   landslips 
  and 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  slope, 
  but 
  though 
  they 
  seemed 
  

   equally 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  they 
  

   did 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  more 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  facing 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  than 
  on 
  those 
  facing 
  north. 
  

  

  Further 
  north, 
  towards 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  hills, 
  no 
  such 
  relation 
  

   could 
  be 
  detected 
  ; 
  the 
  landslips 
  were 
  practically 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  deeply 
  cut 
  valleys, 
  whose 
  general 
  direction 
  is 
  about 
  north 
  

   north-east, 
  south 
  south-west. 
  In 
  the 
  granite 
  area 
  round 
  Laitlynkot 
  

   (Lailang 
  Kot). 
  granite 
  tors 
  had 
  been 
  thrown 
  down 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   and 
  lay 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  slopes. 
  All 
  this 
  region 
  has 
  been 
  extensively 
  

   washed 
  for 
  iron 
  ore 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  days, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  tors, 
  which 
  were 
  

   overthrown, 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  undermined 
  in 
  the 
  process. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  high 
  plateau 
  of 
  the 
  Khasi 
  Hills, 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  

   of 
  Shillong, 
  landslips 
  are 
  scarce, 
  as 
  the 
  hills 
  have 
  mostly 
  gentle 
  

   ( 
  no 
  ) 
  

  

  