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The earliest large Indian earthquake for which a well documented instrumental magnitude (8.6+) ca be assigned. This was a great disaster; the loss of life is stated as 19,000. Instrumental data are not adequate to fix the epicenter. The meizoseismal are including Kangra was on the territory rocks of the foot hills of the Himalaya. An isolated area of high intensity, lower than that at Kangra but not approached elsewhere, included Debra Dun, also in the foot hills; that was separated from the Kangra meizoseismal area by about 100 miles. The available evidence does not support the idea of two separate earthquakes; it is more likely that there was a great linear extent of faulting. The epicentral location is 33.0N, 76.0E (Richter, 1958).
The catastrophic earthquake of Kangra occurred on 4 April, 1905 followed by number of aftershocks. The sound was a roar or a crash. People were thrown to the ground. Buildings felt almost instantaneously into utter ruin, and there was very great mortality. Earth fissures and land slides have been observed during the main shock. The drainage river pattern changes its course; and soil cap slides (Middle Miss C.S. 1905).
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