October 8, 2005

Earth Quake in Pakistan:

Its Implications & Hazard Mitigation

January 18-19, 2006 at

Marriott Hotel, Islamabad

Organized by Geological Survey of Pakistan Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources Government of Pakistan

Introduction

More than 100 large (M>6) earthquakes occur in the world every year, causing severe damages to the development of human civilization. The consequences of these disasters, both in human and in economic losses, are increasing drastically every year. The Northern Pakistan earthquake of 2005 is a major seismological disturbance that occurred on October 08, 2005 with the epicenter in the Azad-Jammu & Kashmir. The direct damage caused by the October 8 earthquake stands at about US$ 1.8 billion (Rs.106 billion), indirect losses at about US$ 514 million and reconstruction cost more than $ 5.00 billion, as formally assessed by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. More than 80,000 persons were reported to have been killed and above 100,000 were injured by the earthquake. However, for scientists, the occurrence of large earthquakes is the only way for testing present knowledge on earthquakes. At the same time it provides a new impulse towards a better understanding of these disastrous events.

The severe human and economic effects of the earthquake have uniquely influenced our understanding of seismic hazard in the Himalaya. The region has a long history of large earthquakes, as it is where two tectonic plates that have created the Himalayan mountain belt within the plate tectonic framework of underthrusting of the Indian Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. Such geological processes have displayed active tectonics in continuum to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic geodynamics. Continuum of these processes is manifested in the Pleistocene-Holocene tectonics, paleoseismic events and the ongoing crustal deformation as earthquake events and crustal shortening.

With this open framework, the Geological Survey of Pakistan is organizing an "International Conference on the event of October 8, 2005, Earthquake in Pakistan: Its Implications & Hazard Mitigation" on January 18-19, 2006. The purpose of the conference is to bring together the global community of geology and geodesy analysts to discuss advances in geotectonics, state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice of earthquake engineering and space technologies for hazard mitigation, particularly in the light of the recent traumatic event in Pakistan.

The meeting will also examine the reliability of existing building codes in Pakistan for the design and construction of earthquake resistant civil engineering structures, to evaluate current progress and to establish research and development needs to improve such codes.

Theme

-- Active Tectonics of the Himalaya and Western Collis ional Belt of Pakistan
-- Seismology
-- Paleo-Seismology
-- Geotechnical Engineering
-- Landslide Hazard & Risk
-- Space Technologies for Disaster Mitigation

Technical Committee