Kutch (Bhuj) Earthquake 26 January 2001

The 52 Republic Day of India was marked by one of the most destructive earthquakes of all times that has been recorded in the Indian soil. The natural catastrophe inflicted enormous damage to life and property in Kutch and some other districts of Gujarat, thereby plunging the entire Nation in a state of gloom. The Geological Survey of India, the nodal agency for conducting earthquake studies in the country, took up the multifaceted investigations of the event on war footing. Immediately after getting the news of the earthquake, a number of teams of geoscientists were mobilised, who converged to the epicentral tract in Kutch from different places in order to carry out the macroseismic surveys and aftershock monitoring. In addition, separate teams of officers spread out to other parts of the country to constrain the lower intensity isoseismals. Thus, the Kutch Earthquake investigation has become one of the biggest joint exercises by the Department in its 150 years of glorious past, involving a force of 74 scientists from different disciplines and Regions. Bringing out this Special Publication on Kutch Earthquake has taken nearly two years of tireless and dedicated efforts. It is a valuable collection of rare and authentic database that draws inferences and conclusions on various aspects of the phenomenon. This work would prove to be of immense utility for the earth science community and would serve as a guide for future earthquake studies.