The 26 January Mw7.7 2001 Bhuj Earthquake: The first devastating earthquake of the twenty first century

This monograph on the Bhuj earthquake is conceived to show our respect to those, who have died, were severely injured and had lost their loved ones. This monograph is also dedicated to those who have helped in understanding the hazard associated with the Kachchh rift zone, through their research efforts.

This monograph is of utmost practical importance for the Indian subcontinent, in general, and Kachchh, Gujarat, in particular. It can provide basic data for the studies related to disaster management of seismically active Kachchh, Gujarat, in particular. The 2001 Bhuj earthquake caused intense secondary deformations including lateral spreading and widespread liquefaction. This event affected 21 out of 25 districts in Gujarat and left 1,70,000 people injured. The 2001 Bhuj earthquake caused an economic loss of 12,000 crore rupees. Those who have been to Bhachau City, one of devastated areas during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, can hardly see any of the fear, sorrow, shock and ruins that characterized the city then. Almost everything has gone back to normal in Kachchh, Gujarat. But, the results of direct or related studies on the 2001 Bhuj earthquake gain additional importance now that there is a need to generate again public interest and concern at the highest levels of government on how best to deal with earthquakes.