Memorial for quake victims in China’s Sichuan inspires Veer Balak Smarak and Smriti Van in Kutch

Subject : Geography

Section: Geomorphology

On the morning of January 26, 2001, schoolchildren from 18 government primary schools of Anjar town in Kutch district were marching with tricolours to celebrate the 52nd Republic Day when buildings came crashing down on them as an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale struck. As many as 185 children and 22 teachers died.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a memorial dedicated to them that is a project inspired by the memorial at Sichuan in China after the 2008 earthquake in which thousands were killed, including 1,000 students and teachers of Beichuan Middle School.
The Veer Balak Smarak, set up on the lines of the Relic Site of the school in Beichuan, has a memorial and a museum.
The memorial section at Anjar has a wall with names and sketches of the victims, inspired from Beichuan, and a giant “prakashpunj” (bulb) that will be visible in the whole town.
PM Modi will also inaugurate in Kutch the Smriti Van in Bhuj — a memorial to the 12,932 people killed in the epicentre of the earthquake in Kutch district, also inspired from Sichuan.

Earthquake in India

India is one of the highly earthquake affected countries because of the presence of technically active young fold mountains – Himalaya.
India has been divided into four seismic zones (II, III, IV, and V) based on scientific inputs relating to seismicity, earthquakes occurred in the past and tectonic setup of the region.

Measurement of Earthquakes

The earthquake events are scaled either according to the magnitude or intensity of the shock. The magnitude scale is known as the Richter scale. The magnitude relates to the energy released during the quake. The magnitude is expressed in absolute numbers, 0-10.
The intensity scale is named after Mercalli, an Italian seismologist. The intensity scale takes into account the visible damage caused by the event. The range of intensity scale is from 1-12.

Seismic Waves (Earthquake Waves)

Earthquake waves are basically of two types — body waves and surface waves.
Body waves are generated due to the release of energy at the focus and move in all directions travelling through the body of the earth. Hence, the name body waves.
There are two types of body waves. They are called P and S-waves.
P-waves move faster and are the first to arrive at the surface. These are also called ‘primary waves’. The P-waves are similar to sound waves. They travel through gaseous, liquid and solid materials.
S-waves arrive at the surface with some time lag. These are called secondary waves. An important fact about S-waves is that they can travel only through solid materials.
The body waves interact with the surface rocks and generate a new set of waves called surface waves. These waves move along the surface.
The body waves interact with the surface rocks and generate a new set of waves called surface waves. These waves move along the surface.
The surface waves are the last to report on seismographs. These waves are more destructive. They cause displacement of rocks, and hence, the collapse.
Thus, the characteristics of the seismic waves are quite important. It has helped scientists to understand the structure of the interior of the earth.