﻿170 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Assam 
  range 
  is 
  due. 
  The 
  elevation 
  of 
  this 
  range 
  has 
  

   been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  recent 
  date, 
  1 
  and 
  its 
  leading 
  features 
  are 
  so 
  

   largely 
  dependent 
  on 
  its 
  structure 
  that 
  the 
  elevation 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  

   still 
  in 
  progress. 
  But 
  the 
  sharply 
  marked 
  southern 
  boundary 
  shows 
  

   that, 
  whatever 
  the 
  process 
  to 
  which 
  their 
  elevation 
  is 
  due, 
  its 
  

   geographical 
  limit 
  coincides 
  with 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hills, 
  the 
  

   northern 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plains 
  of 
  Sylhet. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  expected, 
  

   then, 
  that 
  the 
  thrust-plane 
  has 
  approximately 
  the 
  same 
  limit, 
  and 
  

   as 
  pronounced 
  displacement 
  has 
  been 
  detected 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  way 
  

   across 
  the 
  hills 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  we 
  might, 
  on 
  this 
  ground 
  alone, 
  

   draw 
  the 
  southern 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  epicentre 
  along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  

   the 
  hills 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Sameswari 
  river 
  and 
  thence 
  westwards 
  along 
  

   the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  hills. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  some 
  evidence 
  that 
  this 
  course 
  is 
  the 
  correct 
  one, 
  

   for 
  in 
  the 
  Sylhet 
  valley 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  an 
  extension 
  of 
  

   the 
  epicentre 
  under 
  the 
  plain. 
  The 
  destructiveness 
  of 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  Sylhet, 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  alluvium 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  after- 
  

   shocks 
  were 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  at 
  other 
  places 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  

  

  The 
  marked 
  contrast 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  respects 
  between 
  the 
  northern 
  

   and 
  southern 
  valley 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  southern 
  

   boundary 
  of 
  the 
  epicentre 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  sweep 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  

   corresponding 
  to 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  but 
  was 
  a 
  nearly 
  straight 
  line, 
  

   coinciding 
  or 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  

  

  The 
  eastern 
  limit 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  part, 
  when 
  

   describing 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary. 
  East 
  of 
  Shillong 
  the 
  exact 
  limits 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  followed 
  with 
  certainty, 
  but 
  the 
  epicentre 
  appears 
  to 
  run 
  

   out 
  under 
  the 
  plain 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Sylhet. 
  This 
  tract 
  was 
  not 
  visited 
  

   by 
  me, 
  but 
  information 
  collected 
  points 
  to 
  some 
  changes 
  of 
  level. 
  I 
  

   was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Barhil 
  or 
  Mangai 
  

   river, 
  below 
  Dauki 
  (Dowke) 
  which 
  sloped 
  very 
  markedly 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  before 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  has 
  now 
  apparently 
  a 
  much 
  

  

  » 
  Chapter 
  IX, 
  p. 
  135 
  ff. 
  

   ( 
  >70 
  ) 
  

  

  