2005 Kashmir Earthquake
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The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake occurred at 8:50:38 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:38 UTC), on October 8, 2005 in a Pakistan-administered region of the disputed territory of Kashmir. Official Pakistani initial estimates are that the earthquake has killed over 20,000 people and injured over 42,000. However, as most of the areas affected are not accessible in the mountainous areas due to landslides that have blocked the roads, the death toll is thought to be much higher in reality.
The earthquake caused a widespread destruction in northern Pakistan, as well as damage in Afghanistan and northern India. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) gave its magnitude as 7.6, with an epicenter at 34° 25′ 55″ N, 73° 32′ 13″ E, close to Muzaffarabad, about 95 km (60 miles) north-northeast of Islamabad at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) from the surface. The Japan Meteorological Agency gave it a magnitude of 7.8. The earthquake is classified as "major" by the USGS. (By comparison, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake had a 9.15 magnitude rating.)
Kashmir lies on the collision area of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, which began creating the Himalayas 50 million years ago and still continue raising the Himalayas by about 5 mm/year.
There have been many secondary earthquakes in the region. Over 40 aftershocks were registered within seven hours of the initial massive quake that hit at 8:52 am, one of which had a magnitude of 6.2. A tremor of magnitude 6 is rated as a major earthquake. Another 21 occurred with a magnitude greater than 5 in the 36 hours after the original earthquake.
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