A jolt from past: A 1,000-year-old Vadnagar earthquake

Published on July 8, 2021

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat shares a long relationship with earthquakes due to its position on the seismic fault-lines. But that’s also the reason that this region’s residents, over the centuries, developed methods to counter the impact of the natural phenomenon, indicated findings from the Vadnagar excavation.

Dr Siddharth Prizomwala, a scientist from the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) on Wednesday presented his findings on the final day of a two-day workshop organized by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The study by experts from ISR, ASI, Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences, and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology has found a definite proof of a major earthquake at least 1,000 years ago in the town that is recorded in the sedimentary layers excavated by the team along with a fallen wall from the same period.

Experts said that in majority of the cases, the impact of the earthquake is either assessed by impact of the event beneath the surface or the damage to the structures. They pointed at relatively loose soil in Vadnagar for the inference that it could be a massive one. The work is on to assess its magnitude.

What does it say about the town? “The implication of the fault is that it showcases how past humans of Vadnagar coped and adjusted with earthquake as natural disaster and their resilience to such phenomena. The study led with integrated, geological, geophysical and archaeological experts will yield new insights and begin a new chapter in archeao-seismology of Gujarat,” said Prizomwala.