﻿172 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  had 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  form 
  as 
  the 
  eastern, 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  support 
  for 
  this 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  destructiveness 
  of 
  

   the 
  shock 
  at 
  Rangpur, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  Kaunia 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  

   Bengal 
  State 
  Railway. 
  The 
  breaking 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  fence-posts 
  

   described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hayden 
  1 
  is 
  a 
  phenomenon 
  which 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  paral- 
  

   lelled 
  in, 
  or 
  close 
  to, 
  the 
  epicentre 
  of 
  this 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  greatest 
  destruction 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  was 
  at 
  

   and 
  between 
  Nilphamari 
  and 
  Haldibari, 
  all 
  point 
  to 
  there 
  being 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  tongue 
  of 
  epicentre 
  running 
  out 
  westwards, 
  to 
  correspond 
  

   with 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  This 
  supposition 
  is, 
  besides, 
  supported 
  by 
  

   the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  after 
  shocks 
  felt 
  at 
  Rangpur 
  and 
  Kaunia, 
  and 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  some 
  months 
  after 
  the 
  great 
  shocks 
  small 
  after-shocks 
  

   were 
  being 
  felt 
  at 
  these 
  places, 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  local 
  

   origin 
  and 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  felt 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  now 
  discussed 
  the 
  evidence 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  in 
  

   determining 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  epicentre, 
  and 
  on 
  map 
  No. 
  I 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   depicted 
  what 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  its 
  probable 
  approximate 
  form 
  

   and 
  extent. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  only 
  approximate, 
  and 
  

   that 
  the 
  boundary 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  simple 
  and 
  symmetrical 
  in 
  

   reality. 
  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  no 
  means 
  for 
  an 
  accurate 
  delimitation 
  

   of 
  the 
  boundary 
  in 
  detail, 
  nor 
  would 
  this, 
  if 
  possible, 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  

   lead 
  to 
  a 
  serious 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  shape 
  and 
  size. 
  

  

  Taking 
  the 
  dimensions 
  drawn 
  as 
  about 
  the 
  real 
  ones, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  

   the 
  thrust-plane 
  must 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  200 
  miles, 
  a 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  breadth 
  of 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  50 
  miles, 
  and 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  between 
  6,000 
  

   and 
  7,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  these 
  dimensions 
  alone 
  that 
  give 
  any 
  reason 
  for 
  doubting 
  the 
  

   correctness 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  regarding 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  propounded, 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  far 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  

   known 
  thrust-plane. 
  But 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  comparison 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   remember 
  that, 
  when 
  a 
  thrust-plane 
  has 
  been 
  laid 
  bare 
  by 
  denudation, 
  

   all 
  we 
  can 
  know 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  its 
  outcrop. 
  For 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  into 
  

  

  1 
  See 
  appendix 
  A. 
  

  

  ( 
  172 
  ) 
  

  

  