Remarks on Two Hindukush Earthquake Shocks

Results of Coulson's study of two Hindukush earthquakes of February, 1929 and November, 1939, given in a number of his publications during 1929-41, are critically analysed in the light of seismic and macroseismic data and information obtained from his papers and various other sources. Additional materials now available enable the delineation of complete isoseismals of the first shock, presumably for the first time, for any Hindukush earthquake. From seismological evidence and the isoseismals drawn in this paper, large discrepancies of locations of the epicentres and the isoseismals" drawn by Coulson and a few other fallacies in his arguments, are pointed out. The area shaken by the moderately large earthquake of February, 1929, is found to be half that shaken by the largest historic earthquake of June, 1897 and about 8 times that due to the disastrous Quetta Earthquake of May, 1935.