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The Assam earthquake of 15 August, 1950, is one of the biggest of the twentieth century, so far recorded. It caused wide spread devastation throughout Upper Assam, particularly in the frontier tribal districts of the Mishmi and Abor hills and parts of the Lakkimpur and Sibsagar districts. Approximately, 10,500 sq.miles of the hill area and 8,000 sq.miles of the plains have been affected by the earthquake (Poddar, 1953). Strictly this was not an Indian earthquake; the epicenter was near Rima, in a region claimed by both China and Tibet. It is one of the few earthquakes to which instrumental determined magnitude, 8.7+, is assigned. This shock was more damaging in Assam interms of property loss, than the earthquake of 1897. To the effects of shaking were added those of flood, the river rose high after the earthquake, bringing down sand, mud, trees and all kinds of debris. Pilots flying over the meizoseismal area reported great changes in topography. This was hardly due to the enormous slides, some which were photographed. The only available on the spot account is that of F. Kingdon-Ward, a botanical explorer who was at Rima. However he had little opportunity for observations; he confirms violent shaking at Rima, extensive slides and the rise of streams, but his attention was perforce directed to the difficulties of getting out and back to India. Aftershocks were numerous, many were of magnitude 6 and over and well enough recorded at distant stations were reasonably good epicentral location (Richter, 1958). Its epicentral location is 28.5N, 96.7E. The maximum MM intensity is XII based on the felt reports.
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