case study about earthquake in india

Bhuj Earthquake India 2001 – A Complete Study

Bhuj earthquake india.

Gujarat : Disaster on a day of celebration : 51st Republic Day on January 26, 2001

• 7.9 on the Richter scale.
• 8.46 AM January 26th 2001
• 20,800 dead

Basic Facts

• Earthquake: 8:46am on January 26, 2001
• Epicenter: Near Bhuj in Gujarat, India
• Magnitude: 7.9 on the Richter Scale

Geologic Setting

• Indian Plate Sub ducting beneath Eurasian Plate
• Continental Drift
• Convergent Boundary

Specifics of 2001 Quake

Compression Stress between region’s faults

Depth: 16km

Probable Fault: Kachchh Mainland

Fault Type: Reverse Dip-Slip (Thrust Fault)

The earthquake’s epicentre was 20km from Bhuj. A city with a population of 140,000 in 2001. The city is in the region known as the Kutch region. The effects of the earthquake were also felt on the north side of the Pakistan border, in Pakistan 18 people were killed.

Tectonic systems

The earthquake was caused at the convergent plate boundary between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate boundary. These pushed together and caused the earthquake. However as Bhuj is in an intraplate zone, the earthquake was not expected, this is one of the reasons so many buildings were destroyed – because people did not build to earthquake resistant standards in an area earthquakes were not thought to occur. In addition the Gujarat earthquake is an excellent example of liquefaction, causing buildings to ‘sink’ into the ground which gains a consistency of a liquid due to the frequency of the earthquake.

India : Vulnerability to earthquakes

• 56% of the total area of the Indian Republic is vulnerable to seismic activity .
• 12% of the area comes under Zone V (A&N Islands, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, N.E.States, Uttaranchal)
• 18% area in Zone IV (Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttaranchal, W. Bengal)
• 26% area in Zone III (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, W. Bengal)
• Gujarat: an advanced state on the west coast of India.
• On 26 January 2001, an earthquake struck the Kutch district of Gujarat at 8.46 am.
• Epicentre 20 km North East of Bhuj, the headquarter of Kutch.
• The Indian Meteorological Department estimated the intensity of the earthquake at 6.9 Richter. According to the US Geological Survey, the intensity of the quake was 7.7 Richter.
• The quake was the worst in India in the last 180 years.

What earthquakes do

• Casualties: loss of life and injury.
• Loss of housing.
• Damage to infrastructure.
• Disruption of transport and communications.
• Breakdown of social order.
• Loss of industrial output.
• Loss of business.
• Disruption of marketing systems.
• The earthquake devastated Kutch. Practically all buildings and structures of Kutch were brought down.
• Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surendaranagar and Patan were heavily damaged.
• Nearly 19,000 people died. Kutch alone reported more than 17,000 deaths.
• 1.66 lakh people were injured. Most were handicapped for the rest of their lives.
• The dead included 7,065 children (0-14 years) and 9,110 women.
• There were 348 orphans and 826 widows.

Loss classification

Deaths and injuries: demographics and labour markets

Effects on assets and GDP

Effects on fiscal accounts

Financial markets

Disaster loss

• Initial estimate Rs. 200 billion.
• Came down to Rs. 144 billion.
• No inventory of buildings
• Non-engineered buildings
• Land and buildings
• Stocks and flows
• Reconstruction costs (Rs. 106 billion) and loss estimates (Rs. 99 billion) are different
• Public good considerations

Human Impact: Tertiary effects

• Affected 15.9 million people out of 37.8 in the region (in areas such as Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar, Ganhidham, Rapar)
• High demand for food, water, and medical care for survivors
• Humanitarian intervention by groups such as Oxfam: focused on Immediate response and then rehabilitation
• Of survivors, many require persistent medical attention
• Region continues to require assistance long after quake has subsided
• International aid vital to recovery

Social Impacts

• 80% of water and food sources were destroyed.
• The obvious social impacts are that around 20,000 people were killed and near 200,000 were injured.
• However at the same time, looting and violence occurred following the quake, and this affected many people too.
• On the other hand, the earthquake resulted in millions of USD in aid, which has since allowed the Bhuj region to rebuild itself and then grow in a way it wouldn’t have done otherwise.
• The final major social effect was that around 400,000 Indian homes were destroyed resulting in around 2 million people being made homeless immediately following the quake.

Social security and insurance

• Ex gratia payment: death relief and monetary benefits to the injured
• Major and minor injuries
•  Cash doles
• Government insurance fund
• Group insurance schemes
• Claim ratio

Demographics and labour market

• Geographic pattern of ground motion, spatial array of population and properties at risk, and their risk vulnerabilities.
• Low population density was a saving grace.
• Extra fatalities among women
• Effect on dependency ratio
• Farming and textiles

Economic  Impacts

• Total damage estimated at around $7 billion. However $18 billion of aid was invested in the Bhuj area.
• Over 15km of tarmac road networks were completely destroyed.
• In the economic capital of the Gujarat region, Ahmedabad, 58 multi storey buildings were destroyed, these buildings contained many of the businesses which were generating the wealth of the region.
• Many schools were destroyed and the literacy rate of the Gujarat region is now the lowest outside southern India.

Impact on GDP

• Applying ICOR
• Rs. 99 billion – deduct a third as loss of current value added.
• Get GDP loss as Rs. 23 billion
• Adjust for heterogeneous capital, excess capacity, loss Rs. 20 billion.
• Reconstruction efforts.
• Likely to have been Rs. 15 billion.

Fiscal accounts

• Differentiate among different taxes: sales tax, stamp duties and registration fees, motor vehicle tax, electricity duty, entertainment tax, profession tax, state excise and other taxes. Shortfall of Rs. 9 billion of which about Rs. 6 billion unconnected with earthquake.
• Earthquake related other flows.
• Expenditure:Rs. 8 billion on relief. Rs. 87 billion on rehabilitation.

Impact on Revenue Continue Reading

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Bhuj Earthquake in India – A study by CEAI CEAI December 23, 2021 INDUSTRY NEWS 0   Bhuj Earthquake in India – A study by CEAI

On the morning of India’s Republic Day, January 26, 2001, an earthquake devastated the town of Bhuj, and its effects were felt throughout northwestern India and some parts of Pakistan. This earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, killed 20,000 people and injured over 150,000 more. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in India since August 15, 1950, with a Richter scale magnitude of 8.5.

The earthquake wreaked havoc in a number of cities, including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Jamnagar. The majority of the injured people became disabled for the rest of their lives. The earthquake claimed the lives of 7,065 children among those who died (0-14 years old). Aside from casualties, the earthquake had a significant impact on human life, GDP, social situation, and businesses. The disaster caused a massive loss, amounting to Rs. 144 billion in monetary terms. Another Rs. 106 billion was spent on reconstruction. These have had a multiplicity of effects on human life. There was a lack of medical assistance, as well as an inadequate food.

Disaster losses:

The impact of this earthquake has resulted in losses of various elements and sectors, including revenue downfall, loss estimates, and inventory loss.

Because Bhuj is not likely to be considered an earthquake-prone region, the buildings were not built to withstand such natural disasters. As a result of this incident, there was no inventory of buildings left, which resulted in higher reconstruction costs than anticipated.

Social impact:

There were negative social consequences in addition to the fiscal and construction inventory losses. Eighty percent of water and food sources were destroyed, resulting in looting and violence that had a significant impact on people. The earthquake destroyed the homes of 2 million people, leaving them homeless at the end of the incident, which disrupted the social balance.

Demographic impact:

On average, there were around 7065 deaths of children aged 0-14 years, and 9110 deaths of women. There were 348 orphans and 826 widows among the children and women who died. This had an effect on demographics as well as the labor market. There was an imbalance in the worker ratio due to an increase in the number of fatalities among women.

The Bhuj Earthquake had a significant impact in many ways, and it has taken a tremendous amount of effort to return things to normal. Human lives, labor, businesses, social structures, education, and even the basic food supply were all affected. During this time, the government, health care, rescue operation task force, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) made significant efforts by providing assistance, relief funds, and support.

Steps taken to prevent such an incident:

The Bhuj earthquake had caused an unbearable damage in the region of Gujarat. After this, it became inevitable to cover up the losses as well as build safety measures for any such unforeseen circumstance. Along with several initiatives the government took, certain norms were put in place.

The new city which was built in a way where it could face such a challenge without causing a great amount of destruction yet again.

New base Isolation Technology:

The Rs. I00 crore general hospital in Bhuj was rebuilt using base-isolation technology. The lead-rubber bearings (act as shock absorbers) were used to isolate and protect structures during earthquakes.

No multistory buildings:

This technology was hence difficult to be used for all the residential and commercial buildings’ construction. To prevent such an incident from happening, new building was constructed with not more than a single storied building. Not a single building has a permit to go above 7.5m in height. Even if it is a commercial building or a residential one. This led to the city being spread out more horizontally across the region.

Wider road network:

A new network of roads was built which is at least 9m wide and 7-7.5m wide for internal roads which earlier was hardly 2.5-3m wide – which made the rescue and relief a nightmare during the incident.

The National Building Code of India (NBC) was subsequently revised 2005, by lesson leant by this destruction of Bhuj Earthquake. Also, the revision was necessary to address due to large scale changes in the building construction activities.

Further even with the prevalence of high rises and mixed occupancies, greater reliance and complexity of building services, development of new/innovative construction materials and technologies, increased need for environmental preservation, and recognition of the need for planned management of existing buildings and built environment, there has been a paradigm shift in the building construction scenario. Taking these factors into account and to reduce earthquakes impact on buildings, a Project for Comprehensive Revision of the National Building Code (NBC) was launched under the auspices of the National Building Code Sectional Committee, and as a result of this Project, the revised NBC was released as the National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC). The Code was revised once more as NBC 2016 and was formally released on March 15, 2017.

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Earthquakes in India, Types, Zones, Causes, Impacts, Latest Updates

A powerful 5.6 magnitude earthquake originating in Nepal on 6th Nov 2023 felt massive tremors in Delhi-NCR region. Know all about Earthquakes in India and Latest Updates here.

Table of Contents

Earthquake in Nepal and Delhi: Latest Update

Another earthquake of magnitude 5.6 on the Richter scale hit Nepal on the 6th of November 2023 evening as the Himalayan nation recovered from the deadly November 3 earthquake that killed 153 people. This is the 3rd earthquake that has struck Nepal in the last four days. Tremors were also felt in parts of northern India, including the Delhi-NCR region.

Earthquake in Nepal: Nepal earthquake: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal’s Lamidanda area in the Jajarkot district, causing strong tremors that were felt in various northern Indian cities, including the Delhi-NCR region, around 11.30 pm. The earthquake had a depth of 10 km, occurring at a latitude of 28.84 N and a longitude of 82.19 E. This marks the third significant quake in Nepal within a month.

Earthquake in North India: The seismic activity extended to North India, including Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, and Bihar, where residents experienced strong tremors. However, local officials initially reported no injuries or significant damage in these areas.

Delhi Earthquake: In Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), residents felt intense tremors, prompting them to evacuate their homes. The earthquake caused buildings in the national capital to shake. Remarkably, this marks the third occurrence of powerful earthquakes in Nepal within a month.

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Massive Earthquake Tremors Felt in Delhi-NCR: Last Month

A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake originating in neighbouring Nepal sent massive tremors through Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The National Centre for Seismology identified the epicentre of this seismic event as being located in Nepal, and it occurred on October 3, 2023, at 14:51:04 IST.

The earthquake had a depth of 5 kilometres and was centred at Lat: 29.39 and Long: 81.23, as reported by the National Centre for Seismology. Reports indicate that the earthquake was not confined to Delhi and the NCR; tremors were also felt in various areas of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Hapur, and Amroha. This event has generated widespread concern and attention due to its significant magnitude and the widespread impact it has had on the region.

Earthquakes in India

An earthquake is just the shaking of the ground. It happens naturally. It happens as a result of energy being released, which makes waves move in all directions. When an earthquake occurs, the Earth vibrates, producing seismic waves that are detected by seismographs.

Every day, moderate-sized earthquakes take place. On the other hand, powerful tremors that inflict extensive destruction are less frequent. Around plate boundaries, particularly along convergent boundaries, earthquakes are more frequent. More earthquakes occur in the area of India where the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate clash. Consider the Himalayan region, for instance.

India’s peninsular region is thought to be a stable area. On occasion, though, earthquakes are felt on the edges of smaller plates. The 1967 Koyna earthquake and the 1993 Latur earthquake are two examples of earthquakes that occurred in peninsular areas. Indian seismologists have divided India into four seismic zones: Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV, and Zone V.

As can be seen, zones V and IV are assigned to the entire Himalayan region as well as the states of North-East India, Western and Northern Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and portions of Gujarat. A significant chunk of the peninsular region is in the low-risk zone, while the northern lowlands and western coastal regions continue to be in the moderate hazard zone.

Read about: Component of Environment

Types of Indian Earthquakes

Tectonic earthquakes.

The movement of loose, broken bits of land on the earth’s crust known as tectonic plates is what causes the most frequent type of earthquake.

Volcanic Earthquake

These earthquakes, which are less frequent than the tectonic variety, take place prior to or following a volcanic eruption. It happens when rocks that are forced to the surface mix with magma that is erupting from the volcano.

Collapse Earthquake

In subterranean mines, there is an earthquake. The pressure created inside the rocks is the primary cause.

Explosion Earthquakes

This kind of earthquake doesn’t naturally occur. The main culprit is a high-density explosion, such as a nuclear explosion.

Earthquake Zones in India

Here’s a complete List of All Zones of Earthquakes in India:

The zones are distinguished using Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity, which evaluates the impact of earthquakes. However, the seismic zoning map was updated following the Killari earthquake in Maharashtra in 1993, merging the low danger zone, or Seismic Zone I, with Seismic Zone II. Zone I is therefore excluded from the mapping.

It falls under the low-intensity category. It covers 40.93% of the nation’s land area. Along with the Karnataka Plateau, it also encompasses the peninsula region.

This region is moderately intense. It covers 30.79 per cent of the nation’s area. The state is made up of Kerala, Goa, and the Lakshadweep Islands, as well as portions of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.

A high-intensity zone is what it is called. It covers 17.49% of the land area of the nation. It encompasses the remaining portions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Sikkim, the northern portions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the western coast of Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

It falls under the category of an extremely severe zone. It covers 10.79 per cent of the land area of the nation. It also covers a region of North Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Major Earthquakes in India List

Some of the devastating earthquakes have affected India. More than 58.6% of Indian Territory is vulnerable to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity. Some of India’s most significant earthquakes include:

• Cutch Earthquake (1819) which was 8.3 magnitude
• Assam Earthquake (1897)
• Bihar-Nepal Earthquake (1934) of 8.4 magnitude
• Koyna Earthquake (1967) of 6.5 magnitude
• Uttarkashi (1991) of 6.6 magnitude
• Killari (1993) of 6.4 magnitude
• Bhuj (2001) of 7.7 magnitude
• Jammu Kashmir (2005)

Read about: Wetlands in India

List of Major Earthquakes in India Year-wise for UPSC

• 2015 India/Nepal Earthquake
• 2011 Sikkim Earthquake
• 2005 Kashmir Earthquake
• 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake
• 2001 Bhuj Earthquake
• 1999 Chamoli Earthquake
• 1997 Jabalpur Earthquake
• 1993 Latur Earthquake
• 1991 Uttarkashi Earthquake
• 1941 Andaman Islands Earthquake
• 1975 Kinnaur Earthquake
• 1967 Koynanagar Earthquake
• 1956 Anjar Earthquake
• 1934 Bihar/Nepal Earthquake
• 1905 Kangra Earthquake

Causes of Earthquakes in India

Avalanches and landslides.

Tremors can cause slope instability and collapse, which can lead to debris falling down the slope and causing landslides, especially in hilly areas. Massive amounts of ice may fall from peaks covered in snow as a result of avalanches brought on by earthquakes. As an illustration, the 2015 Nepal earthquake led to several avalanches on and near Mount Everest.

Landslides and considerable property damage were caused by the Sikkim earthquake of 2011 in particular at the Singik and Upper Teesta hydroelectric projects.

Flash floods and failures of dams and reservoirs could result from the earthquake. Flooding could result from avalanches and slides impeding the river’s flow. The 1950 Assam earthquake produced a barrier in the Dihang River as a result of the buildup of enormous debris, resulting in flash floods in the upstream region.

When an ocean basin is disturbed and a significant amount of water is displaced, waves called tsunamis are created. The seafloor is moved by seismic waves from earthquakes, which can produce large sea waves. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra caused the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

The Indian plate subducting beneath the Burmese plate is what caused it to happen. Over 2.4 lakh people were killed in the Indian Ocean region and its neighbouring countries. Ten-meter Tsunami waves were produced by an undersea earthquake of magnitude nine during the devastating Tohoku earthquake in Japan in 2011. Due to the destruction of the emergency generators cooling the reactors, a nuclear meltdown occurred, and the radioactive fallout from Fukushima Daiichi became a major global problem.

Impact of Earthquakes in India

Loss of human life and property.

Human towns and structures sustain severe damage and destruction as a result of the ground surface deformation brought on by the earth’s crust’s vertical and horizontal movement. a case in point An analysis of the urban devastation caused by the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

The depth of this 7.8-magnitude earthquake was 8.2 kilometres. The Nepal earthquake claimed many lives as a result of unchecked urban expansion, poorly engineered buildings, and unscientifically designed constructions. Urban areas of Kathmandu were badly devastated, causing 8,000 fatalities and a 10 billion dollar economic loss.

Alterations to the River’s Course

The alteration in the river’s course brought on by the obstruction is one of the earthquake’s significant effects.

Fountains of Mud

Mud and boiling water may surface as a result of the earthquake’s tremendous force. The agricultural field was covered in knee-deep mud following the 1934 Bihar earthquake.

Gas pipelines and electric infrastructure are both harmed by earthquakes. It is considerably more challenging to put out the fire because of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

Mitigation Measures for Earthquakes in India

The national center for seismology.

Governmental organisations receive earthquake monitoring and hazard reports from a department of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. There are three divisions in it: Geophysical Observation System, Earthquake Hazard and Risk Assessment, and Earthquake Monitoring and services.

National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project (NERMP)

Enhancing earthquake mitigation programmes’ non-structural and structural components. It aids in lowering susceptibility in high-risk areas. In the areas with strong seismic activity, necessary risk reduction measures are put in place. The project’s assigned agency, NDMA, has created a detailed project report (DPR).

National Building Code (NBC)

It is a comprehensive building code and a national regulation that sets rules for controlling building construction across the nation. The Planning Commission ordered its first 1970 publication, which was later updated in 1983. Following that, three significant amendments—two in 1987 and the third in 1997—were published. The National Building Code of India 2005 replaces the updated NBC (NBC 2005). Meeting the problems presented by natural disasters and adopting current, applicable international best practises are the key characteristics.

Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC)

It takes on projects for life-line structural retrofitting to raise awareness among the populace and various governmental organisations. It sought to assist the general public and policymakers in particular in their efforts to lessen the vulnerability of the thousands of existing public and private structures.

NDMA Guidelines for Earthquakes

In 2007, the NDMA published its comprehensive earthquake recommendations. The rules specify actions that must be taken by State Governments, Central Ministries, and Departments in order to create disaster management plans with a focus on managing earthquake risk. Six pillars make up the fundamental tenet of these principles:

• The building of new structures that is earthquake-resistant.
• Retrofitting and selective seismic strengthening of existing structures.
• Enforcement and regulation.
• Preparation and awareness.
• Building capacity;
• Emergency reaction.

Biggest Earthquakes in India

The devastating Bhuj earthquake of 2001 took place on January 26, 2001, near the Pakistani border in the Indian state of Gujarat. The largest earthquake in India, measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale, struck the India-China region on August 15, 1950. 1530 people perished as a result of the shifting of tectonic plates at a depth of 30 km.

Earthquake in the Indian Ocean

Since of their resemblance to rapidly rising tides, tsunamis are commonly referred to as tidal waves, but scientists avoid using this phrase because, unlike tides, which are brought about by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, tsunamis are caused by the displacement of water. The tsunami of 2004 was caused by a massive earthquake that was the third-largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph.

On the Richter scale, it was between 9.1 and 9.3 in magnitude. The faulting persisted for the longest time ever—between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It generated several aftershocks that persisted for up to 3 to 4 months after the initial incident. A significant amount of energy was released as a result of the seismic activity, and the earth is thought to have slightly shifted on its axis.

The earth’s rotation changed as a result of the change in mass and energy released. The earthquake caused the seafloor to rise vertically by many metres, displacing a significant amount of water and resulting in a tsunami. Indonesia was the first country to be affected by the tsunami because of its proximity. Additionally, it saw the most casualties, with about 170,000 people dying.

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Earthquakes in India FAQs

What are the 5 largest earthquake ever recorded in india.

• 1993 Latur Earthquake • 1991 Uttarkashi Earthquake • 1941 Andaman Islands Earthquake • 1975 Kinnaur Earthquake • 1967 Koynanagar Earthquake

Which is the biggest earthquake in India?

The devastating Bhuj earthquake of 2001 took place on January 26, 2001, in the Indian state of Gujarat, close to the Pakistani border.

Which city in India is most prone to earthquake?

• Guwahati • Srinagar • Mumbai • Pune • Kerala • Delhi • Chennai • Kochi • Thiruvananthapuram • Patna

What causes earthquake in India?

The entire Himalayan belt as well as the country’s north-eastern portion is prone to powerful earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 8.0. The Indian plate is moving toward the Eurasian plate at a pace of roughly 50 mm per year, which is the primary cause of earthquakes in these areas.

Which place is safe from earthquake?

Go somewhere open that is far from any trees, telephone poles, or structures. Once outside, crouch low and remain there until the trembling stops. The most hazardous spot to be is close to a building's exterior walls. Frequently, the building's windows, façade, and architectural details are the first to give way.

Was there an earthquake in Delhi?

On November 06, 2023 strong tremors were felt in Delhi and NCR after two earthquakes that has struck Nepal in the last four days.

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Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala State

• Original Paper
• Published: 29 April 2024

Cite this article

• M. P. Hari Padmanabhan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0369-6213 1 ,
• R. Siddhardha   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8696-6583 2 ,
• Sreevalsa Kolathayar   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1747-9284 3 ,
• Ramakrishna Hegde 4 &
• B. M. Praveen 5  

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Deterministic seismic hazard analysis (DSHA) is a technique employed to estimate potential hazards and ground shaking resulting from specific earthquake scenarios at a given location. In the present study, DSHA is conducted for the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, situated in the southernmost district of Kerala, India. This seismic hazard study is crucial due to the temple’s proximity to seismic events such as the 1900 AD Coimbatore earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 M w and the 2000 Pala earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 M w . This study examines earthquake data within a 500 km radius surrounding the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, from 1819 to 2022 AD. The seismic zone of the temple site is III according to the Indian zonation map (IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016), relying on past earthquakes recorded throughout India. The collected earthquake data underwent a homogenization process to determine the moment magnitude ( M w ), distinguishing foreshocks and aftershocks from the main shocks. A seismotectonic map was developed comprising of geological discontinuities and 316 earthquakes events with moment magnitudes between 3.0 and 6.3 M w . The software tools employed for this work include MATLAB, QGIS and ZMAP. The Log-likelihood technique (LLH) was used to choose the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for the location. The GMPEs were then given weights based on the computed values of the data support index (DSI). The study region was partitioned into a grid size of 0.05° × 0.05° (5 km × 5 km). Using MATLAB code, the peak ground acceleration (PGA) was estimated for the site and PGA was found in the center of each grid cell, taking into account all seismic sources within a 500 km radius. In addition, site-specific deterministic spectrum was also developed. The findings show that Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple has low seismicity, which is defined by weak to moderate earthquakes that have sources close to the temple.

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Data availability.

The data and materials in this paper are available on request made directly to the corresponding Author.

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M. P. Hari Padmanabhan

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Hari Padmanabhan M P processed the data and drafted the initial manuscript. R Siddhardha carried out data curation and formal analysis. Sreevalsa Kolathayar was involved in conceptualization and methodology. Ramakrishna Hegde reviewed the original draft. Praveen B M was responsible for reviewing and editing.

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Padmanabhan, M.P.H., Siddhardha, R., Kolathayar, S. et al. Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala State. Indian Geotech J (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40098-024-00960-3

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Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand

The porn star testified for eight hours at donald trump’s hush-money trial. this is how it went..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

It’s 6:41 AM. I’m feeling a little stressed because I’m running late. It’s the fourth week of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. It’s a white collar trial. Most of the witnesses we’ve heard from have been, I think, typical white collar witnesses in terms of their professions.

We’ve got a former publisher, a lawyer, accountants. The witness today, a little less typical, Stormy Daniels, porn star in a New York criminal courtroom in front of a jury more accustomed to the types of witnesses they’ve already seen. There’s a lot that could go wrong.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

Today, what happened when Stormy Daniels took the stand for eight hours in the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump. As before, my colleague Jonah Bromwich was inside the courtroom.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It’s Friday, May 10th.

So it’s now day 14 of this trial. And I think it’s worth having you briefly, and in broad strokes, catch listeners up on the biggest developments that have occurred since you were last on, which was the day that opening arguments were made by both the defense and the prosecution. So just give us that brief recap.

Sure. It’s all been the prosecution’s case so far. And prosecutors have a saying, which is that the evidence is coming in great. And I think for this prosecution, which is trying to show that Trump falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal, to ease his way into the White House in 2016, the evidence has been coming in pretty well. It’s come in well through David Pecker, former publisher of The National Enquirer, who testified that he entered into a secret plot with Trump and Michael Cohen, his fixer at the time, to suppress negative stories about Trump, the candidate.

It came in pretty well through Keith Davidson, who was a lawyer to Stormy Daniels in 2016 and negotiated the hush money payment. And we’ve seen all these little bits and pieces of evidence that tell the story that prosecutors want to tell. And the case makes sense so far. We can’t tell what the jury is thinking, as we always say.

But we can tell that there’s a narrative that’s coherent and that matches up with the prosecution’s opening statement. Then we come to Tuesday. And that day really marks the first time that the prosecution’s strategy seems a little bit risky because that’s the day that Stormy Daniels gets called to the witness stand.

OK, well, just explain why the prosecution putting Stormy Daniels on the stand would be so risky. And I guess it makes sense to answer that in the context of why the prosecution is calling her as a witness at all.

Well, you can see why it makes sense to have her. The hush money payment was to her. The cover-up of the hush money payment, in some ways, concerns her. And so she’s this character who’s very much at the center of this story. But according to prosecutors, she’s not at the center of the crime. The prosecution is telling a story, and they hope a compelling one. And arguably, that story starts with Stormy Daniels. It starts in 2006, when Stormy Daniels says that she and Trump had sex, which is something that Trump has always denied.

So if prosecutors were to not call Stormy Daniels to the stand, you would have this big hole in the case. It would be like, effect, effect, effect. But where is the cause? Where is the person who set off this chain reaction? But Stormy Daniels is a porn star. She’s there to testify about sex. Sex and pornography are things that the jurors were not asked about during jury selection. And those are subjects that bring up all kinds of different complex reactions in people.

And so, when the prosecutors bring Stormy Daniels to the courtroom, it’s very difficult to know how the jurors will take it, particularly given that she’s about to describe a sexual episode that she says she had with the former president. Will the jurors think that makes sense, as they sit here and try to decide a falsifying business records case, or will they ask themselves, why are we hearing this?

So the reason why this is the first time that the prosecution’s strategy is, for journalists like you, a little bit confusing, is because it’s the first time that the prosecution seems to be taking a genuine risk in what they’re putting before these jurors. Everything else has been kind of cut and dry and a little bit more mechanical. This is just a wild card.

This is like live ammunition, to some extent. Everything else is settled and controlled. And they know what’s going to happen. With Stormy Daniels, that’s not the case.

OK, so walk us through the testimony. When the prosecution brings her to the stand, what actually happens?

It starts, as every witness does, with what’s called direct examination, which is a fancy word for saying prosecutors question Stormy Daniels. And they have her tell her story. First, they have her tell the jury about her education and where she grew up and her professional experience. And because of Stormy Daniels’s biography, that quickly goes into stripping, and then goes into making adult films.

And I thought the prosecutor who questioned her, Susan Hoffinger, had this nice touch in talking about that, because not only did she ask Daniels about acting in adult films. But she asked her about writing and directing them, too, emphasizing the more professional aspects of that work and giving a little more credit to the witness, as if to say, well, you may think this or you may think that. But this is a person with dignity who took what she did seriously. Got it.

What’s your first impression of Daniels as a witness?

It’s very clear that she’s nervous. She’s speaking fast. She’s laughing to herself and making small jokes. But the tension in the room is so serious from the beginning, from the moment she enters, that those jokes aren’t landing. So it just feels, like, really heavy and still and almost oppressive in there. So Daniels talking quickly, seeming nervous, giving more answers than are being asked of her by the prosecution, even before we get to the sexual encounter that she’s about to describe, all of that presents a really discomfiting impression, I would say.

And how does this move towards the encounter that Daniels ultimately has?

It starts at a golf tournament in 2006, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Daniels meets Trump there. There are other celebrities there, too. They chatted very briefly. And then she received a dinner invitation from him. She thought it over, she says. And she goes to have dinner with Trump, not at a restaurant, by the way. But she’s invited to join him in the hotel suite.

So she gets to the hotel suite. And his bodyguard is there. And the hotel door is cracked open. And the bodyguard greets her and says she looks nice, this and that. And she goes in. And there’s Donald Trump, just as expected. But what’s not expected, she says, is that he’s not wearing what you would wear to a dinner with a stranger, but instead, she says, silk or satin pajamas. She asked him to change, she says. And he obliges.

He goes, and he puts on a dress shirt and dress pants. And they sit down at the hotel suite’s dining room table. And they have a kind of bizarre dinner. Trump is asking her very personal questions about pornography and safe sex. And she testifies that she teased him about vain and pompous he is. And then at some point, she goes to the bathroom. And she sees that he has got his toiletries in there, his Old Spice, his gold tweezers.

Very specific details.

Yeah, we’re getting a ton of detail in this scene. And the reason we’re getting those is because prosecutors are trying to elicit those details to establish that this is a credible person, that this thing did happen, despite what Donald Trump and his lawyers say. And the reason you can know it happened, prosecutors seem to be saying, is because, look at all these details she can still summon up.

She comes out of the bathroom. And she says that Donald Trump is on the hotel bed. And what stands out to me there is what she describes as a very intense physical reaction. She says that she blacked out. And she quickly clarifies, she doesn’t mean from drugs or alcohol. She means that, she says, that the intensity of this experience was such that, suddenly, she can’t remember every detail. The prosecution asks a question that cuts directly to the sex. Essentially, did you start having sex with him? And Daniels says that she did. And she continues to provide more details than even, I think, the prosecution wanted.

And I think we don’t want to go chapter and verse through this claimed sexual encounter. But I wonder what details stand out and which details feel important, given the prosecution’s strategy here.

All the details stand out because it’s a story about having had sex with a former president. And the more salacious and more private the details feel, the more you’re going to remember them. So we’ll remember that Stormy Daniels said what position they had sex in. We’ll remember that she said he didn’t use a condom. Whether that’s important to the prosecution’s case, now, that’s a much harder question to answer, as we’ve been saying.

But what I can tell you is, as she’s describing having had sex with Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is sitting right there, and Eric Trump, his son, is sitting behind him, seeming to turn a different color as he hears this embarrassment of his father being described to a courtroom full of reporters at this trial, it’s hard to even describe the energy in that room. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. And it was just Daniels’s testimony and, seemingly, the former President’s emotions. And you almost felt like you were trapped in there with both of them as this description was happening.

Well, I think it’s important to try to understand why the prosecution is getting these details, these salacious, carnal, pick your word, graphic details about sex with Donald Trump. What is the value, if other details are clearly making the point that she’s recollecting something?

Well, I think, at this point, we can only speculate. But one thing we can say is, this was uncomfortable. This felt bad. And remember, prosecutor’s story is not about the sex. It’s about trying to hide the sex. So if you’re trying to show a jury why it might be worthwhile to hide a story, it might be worth —

Providing lots of salacious details that a person would want to hide.

— exposing them to how bad that story feels and reminding them that if they had been voters and they had heard that story, and, in fact, they asked Daniels this very question, if you hadn’t accepted hush money, if you hadn’t signed that NDA, is this the story you would have told? And she said, yes. And so where I think they’re going with this, but we can’t really be sure yet, is that they’re going to tell the jurors, hey, that story, you can see why he wanted to cover that up, can’t you?

You mentioned the hush money payments. What testimony does Daniels offer about that? And how does it advance the prosecution’s case of business fraud related to the hush money payments?

So little evidence that it’s almost laughable. She says that she received the hush money. But we actually already heard another witness, her lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson, testify that he had received the hush money payment on her behalf. And she testified about feeling as if she had to sell this story because the election was fast approaching, almost as if her leverage was slipping away because she knew this would be bad for Trump.

That feels important. But just help me understand why it’s important.

Well, what the prosecution has been arguing is that Trump covered up this hush money payment in order to conceal a different crime. And that crime, they say, was to promote his election to the presidency by illegal means.

Right, we’ve talked about this in the past.

So when Daniels ties her side of the payment into the election, it just reminds the jurors maybe, oh, right, this is what they’re arguing.

So how does the prosecution end this very dramatic, and from everything you’re saying, very tense questioning of Stormy Daniels about this encounter?

Well, before they can even end, the defense lawyers go and they consult among themselves. And then, with the jury out of the room, one of them stands up. And he says that the defense is moving for a mistrial.

On what terms?

He says that the testimony offered by Daniels that morning is so prejudicial, so damning to Trump in the eyes of the jury, that the trial can no longer be fair. Like, how could these jurors have heard these details and still be fair when they render their verdict? And he says a memorable expression. He says, you can’t un-ring that bell, meaning they heard it. They can’t un-hear it. It’s over. Throw out this trial. It should be done.

Wow. And what is the response from the judge?

So the judge, Juan Merchan, he hears them out. And he really hears them out. But at the end of their arguments, he says, I do think she went a little too far. He says that. He said, there were things that were better left unsaid.

By Stormy Daniels?

By Stormy Daniels. And he acknowledges that she is a difficult witness. But, he says, the remedy for that is not a mistrial, is not stopping the whole thing right now. The remedy for that is cross-examination. If the defense feels that there are issues with her story, issues with her credibility, they can ask her whatever they want. They can try to win the jury back over. If they think this jury has been poisoned by this witness, well, this is their time to provide the antidote. The antidote is cross-examination. And soon enough, cross-examination starts. And it is exactly as intense and combative as we expected.

We’ll be right back.

So, Jonah, how would you characterize the defense’s overall strategy in this intense cross-examination of Stormy Daniels?

People know the word impeach from presidential impeachments. But it has a meaning in law, too. You impeach a witness, and, specifically, their credibility. And that’s what the defense is going for here. They are going to try to make Stormy Daniels look like a liar, a fraud, an extortionist, a money-grubbing opportunist who wanted to take advantage of Trump and sought to do so by any means necessary.

And what did that impeachment strategy look like in the courtroom?

The defense lawyer who questions Stormy Daniels is a woman named Susan Necheles. She’s defended Trump before. And she’s a bit of a cross-examination specialist. We even saw her during jury selection bring up these past details to confront jurors who had said nasty things about Trump on social media with. And she wants to do the same thing with Daniels. She wants to bring up old interviews and old tweets and things that Daniels has said in the past that don’t match what Daniels is saying from the stand.

What’s a specific example? And do they land?

Some of them land. And some of them don’t. One specific example is that Necheles confronts Daniels with this old tweet, where Daniels says that she’s going to dance down the street if Trump goes to jail. And what she’s trying to show there is that Daniels is out for revenge, that she hates Trump, and that she wants to see him go to jail. And that’s why she’s testifying against him.

And Daniels is very interesting during the cross-examination. It’s almost as if she’s a different person. She kind of squares her shoulders. And she sits up a little straighter. And she leans forward. Daniels is ready to fight. But it doesn’t quite land. The tweet actually says, I’ll dance down the street when he’s selected to go to jail.

And Daniels goes off on this digression about how she knows that people don’t get selected to go to jail. That’s not how it works. But she can’t really unseat this argument, that she’s a political enemy of Donald Trump. So that one kind of sticks, I would say. But there are other moves that Necheles tries to pull that don’t stick.

So unlike the prosecution, which typically used words like adult, adult film, Necheles seems to be taking every chance she can get to say porn, or pornography, or porn star, to make it sound base or dirty. And so when she starts to ask Daniels about actually being in pornography, writing, acting, and directing sex films, she tries to land a punch line, Necheles does. She says, so you have a lot of experience making phony stories about sex appear to be real, right?

As if to say, perhaps this story you have told about entering Trump’s suite in Lake Tahoe and having sex with him was made up.

Just another one of your fictional stories about sex. But Daniels comes back and says, the sex in the films, it’s very much real, just like what happened to me in that room. And so, when you have this kind of combat of a lawyer cross-examining very aggressively and the witness fighting back, you can feel the energy in the room shift as one lands a blow or the other does. But here, Daniels lands one back. And the other issue that I think Susan Necheles runs into is, she tries to draw out disparities from interviews that Daniels gave, particularly to N-TOUCH, very early on once the story was out.

It’s kind of like a tabloid magazine?

But some of the disparities don’t seem to be landing quite like Necheles would want. So she tries to do this complicated thing about where the bodyguard was in the room when Daniels walked into the room, as described in an interview in a magazine. But in that magazine interview, as it turns out, Daniels mentioned that Trump was wearing pajamas. And so, if I’m a juror, I don’t care where the bodyguard is. I’m thinking about, oh, yeah, I remember that Stormy Daniels said now in 2024 that Trump was wearing pajamas.

I’m curious if, as somebody in the room, you felt that the defense was effective in undermining Stormy Daniels’s credibility? Because what I took from the earlier part of our conversation was that Stormy Daniels is in this courtroom on behalf of the prosecution to tell a story that’s uncomfortable and has the kind of details that Donald Trump would be motivated to try to hide. And therefore, this defense strategy is to say, those details about what Trump might want to hide, you can’t trust them. So does this back and forth effectively hurt Stormy Daniels’s credibility, in your estimation?

I don’t think that Stormy Daniels came off as perfectly credible about everything she testified about. There are incidents that were unclear or confusing. There were things she talked about that I found hard to believe, when she, for instance, denied that she had attacked Trump in a tweet or talked about her motivations. But about what prosecutors need, that central story, the story of having had sex with him, we can’t know whether it happened.

But there weren’t that many disparities in these accounts over the years. In terms of things that would make me doubt the story that Daniels was telling, details that don’t add up, those weren’t present. And you don’t have to take my word for that, nor should you. But the judge is in the room. And he says something very, very similar.

What does he say? And why does he say it?

Well, he does it when the defense, again, at the end of the day on Thursday, calls for a mistrial.

With a similar argument as before?

Not only with a similar argument as before, but, like, almost the exact same argument. And I would say that I was astonished to see them do this. But I wasn’t because I’ve covered other trials where Trump is the client. And in those trials, the lawyers, again and again, called for a mistrial.

And what does Judge Marchan say in response to this second effort to seek a mistrial?

Let me say, to this one, he seems a little less patient. He says that after the first mistrial ruling, two days before, he went into his chambers. And he read every decision he had made about the case. He took this moment to reflect on the first decision. And he found that he had, in his own estimation, which is all he has, been fair and not allowed evidence that was prejudicial to Trump into this trial. It could continue. And so he said that again. And then he really almost turned on the defense. And he said that the things that the defense was objecting to were things that the defense had made happen.

He says that in their opening statement, the defense could have taken issue with many elements of the case, about whether there were falsified business records, about any of the other things that prosecutors are saying happened. But instead, he says, they focused their energy on denying that Trump ever had sex with Daniels.

And so that was essentially an invitation to the prosecution to call Stormy Daniels as a witness and have her say from the stand, yes, I had this sexual encounter. The upshot of it is that the judge not only takes the defense to task. But he also just says that he finds Stormy Daniels’s narrative credible. He doesn’t see it as having changed so much from year to year.

Interesting. So in thinking back to our original question here, Jonah, about the idea that putting Stormy Daniels on the stand was risky, I wonder if, by the end of this entire journey, you’re reevaluating that idea because it doesn’t sound like it ended up being super risky. It sounded like it ended up working reasonably well for the prosecution.

Well, let me just assert that it doesn’t really matter what I think. The jury is going to decide this. There’s 12 people. And we can’t know what they’re thinking. But my impression was that, while she was being questioned by the prosecution for the prosecution’s case, Stormy Daniels was a real liability. She was a difficult witness for them.

And the judge said as much. But when the defense cross-examined her, Stormy Daniels became a better witness, in part because their struggles to discredit her may have actually ended up making her story look more credible and stronger. And the reason that matters is because, remember, we said that prosecutors are trying to fill this hole in their case. Well, now, they have. The jury has met Stormy Daniels. They’ve heard her account. They’ve made of it what they will. And now, the sequence of events that prosecutors are trying to line up as they seek prison time for the former President really makes a lot of sense.

It starts with what Stormy Daniels says with sex in a hotel suite in 2006. It picks up years later, as Donald Trump is trying to win an election and, prosecutors say, suppressing negative stories, including Stormy Daniels’s very negative story. And the story that prosecutors are telling ends with Donald Trump orchestrating the falsification of business records to keep that story concealed.

Well, Jonah, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Of course, thanks for having me.

The prosecution’s next major witness will be Michael Cohen, the former Trump fixer who arranged for the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Cohen is expected to take the stand on Monday.

Here’s what else you need to know today. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a defiant response to warnings from the United States that it would stop supplying weapons to Israel if Israel invades the Southern Gaza City of Rafah. So far, Israel has carried out a limited incursion into the city where a million civilians are sheltering, but has threatened a full invasion. In a statement, Netanyahu said, quote, “if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone.”

Meanwhile, high level ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been put on hold in part because of anger over Israel’s incursion into Rafah.

A reminder, tomorrow, we’ll be sharing the latest episode of our colleague’s new show, “The Interview” This week on “The Interview,” Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with radio host Charlamagne Tha God about his frustrations with how Americans talk about politics.

If me as a Black man, if I criticize Democrats, then I’m supporting MAGA. But if I criticize, you know, Donald Trump and Republicans, then I’m a Democratic shill. Why can’t I just be a person who deals in nuance?

Today’s episode was produced by Olivia Natt and Michael Simon Johnson. It was edited by Lexie Diao, with help from Paige Cowett, contains original music by Will Reid and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.

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• May 13, 2024   •   27:46 How Biden Adopted Trump’s Trade War With China
• May 10, 2024   •   27:42 Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand
• May 9, 2024   •   34:42 One Strongman, One Billion Voters, and the Future of India
• May 8, 2024   •   28:28 A Plan to Remake the Middle East
• May 7, 2024   •   27:43 How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
• May 6, 2024   •   29:23 R.F.K. Jr.’s Battle to Get on the Ballot
• May 3, 2024   •   25:33 The Protesters and the President
• May 2, 2024   •   29:13 Biden Loosens Up on Weed
• May 1, 2024   •   35:16 The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court
• April 30, 2024   •   27:40 The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonah E. Bromwich

Produced by Olivia Natt and Michael Simon Johnson

Edited by Lexie Diao

With Paige Cowett

Original music by Will Reid and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

This episode contains descriptions of an alleged sexual liaison.

What happened when Stormy Daniels took the stand for eight hours in the first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump?

Jonah Bromwich, one of the lead reporters covering the trial for The Times, was in the room.

On today’s episode

Jonah E. Bromwich , who covers criminal justice in New York for The New York Times.

Background reading

In a second day of cross-examination, Stormy Daniels resisted the implication she had tried to shake down Donald J. Trump by selling her story of a sexual liaison.

Here are six takeaways from Ms. Daniels’s earlier testimony.

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The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

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