SDRP JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES February 7, 2017 RESEARCH THE BALOCHISTAN EARTHQUAKE 2013: EMERGENCE OF A NEW ISLAND IN THE ARABIAN SEA DOI: 10.15436/JESES.2.1.3 Javed Iqbala, Ishtiaq A. K. Jadoonb, Iftikhar A INTRODUCTION Rajac Earthquakes or seismic tremor are a natural hazard aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Abbottabad caused by environmental factors, killing an University of Science and Technology, increasing number of people. The increase in Abbottabad, Pakistan casualties may be due to the growth in population, bDepartment of Earth Sciences, cDepartment of towns growing into urban centres [1]. Major Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute population centres are often located along of Information Technology Abbottabad, mountain ranges, with cities lying next to faults. Pakistan Significant damage occurs when they rupture due to the proximity of vulnerable buildings [2]. The RECEIVED DATE: 25-11-2016; ACCEPTED DATE: 02- degree of damage varies according to the intensity 01-2017; PUBLISHED DATE: 07-02-2017 of the quake and local geological conditions. Close to the epicenter, the damage is direct, CORRESPONDENCE AUTHORS: Iftikhar A Raja resulting in immediate destruction, such as E-MAIL:
[email protected] collapsed buildings and destroyed infrastructure, broken installation, and indirect or secondary, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST resulting in fires, landslides, floods, etc. THERE ARE NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST FOR ANY OF THE AUTHORS. The 2013 Balochistan earthquake struck along one of the most hazardous yet poorly studied tectonic ABSTRACT: plate boundaries in the world. The earthquake of A massive earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck 7.7 magnitude was likely centered on a southern south-central Pakistan on September 24, 2013.