Origin time 0:50 UTC Areas affected IndiaHimachal Pradesh Casualties more than 20,000 | Magnitude 7.8 Ms Max. intensity IX (Destructive) | |
 | ||
Date April 4, 1905 (1905-04-04) | ||
The 1905 Kangra earthquake occurred in the Kangra Valley and the Kangra region of the Punjab Province (modern day Himachal Pradesh) in India on 4 April 1905. The earthquake measured 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale and killed more than 20,000 people. Apart from this, most buildings in the towns of Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala were destroyed.
Contents
Background
The calculated epicenter of the earthquake lies within the zone of thrusts along the front of the Himalayas formed by the continuing collision of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate.
Damage
As many as 100,000 buildings were reported to have been demolished by the earthquake. At least 20,000 people are estimated to have been killed and 53,000 domestic animals were also lost. There was also major damage to the network of hillside aqueducts that fed water to the affected area. The total cost of recovering from the effects of the earthquake were calculated as 2.9 million (1905) rupees.