THE devastating earthquake that levelled parts of northern Pakistan and neighbouring Kashmir on 8 October came as no surprise to geologists. While the region is geologically active, it has suffered relatively few large earthquakes in the last century, leaving it primed for a big one.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ went to press, the quake had reportedly claimed more than 33,000 lives, and hopes of finding many more survivors were fading. The magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck at 0850 local time (0350 GMT), with the epicentre close to the city of Muzaffarabad and only 10 kilometres below the surface.
The affected region…
