Thank God that the Asteroid which NASA reported as moving towards earth passed away without damage to earth
Thank God that the Asteroid which NASA reported as moving towards earth passed away without damage to earth
Brig. K.G. Behl (Retd.)
Former Dy. Surveyor General, Survey of India,
Dehradun
Seven of the Halloween asteroids were discovered only that year, which were hurtling past us over thousands of years. Three of the space rocks are monsters of between 660 metres and 900 metres in length, big enough to wipe out life in much of a continent if they made a direct hit.
Three others, from 230 to 410 metres long, would be likely to be disastrous to a whole country should they strike, with the remaining five, from just 18 metres to 110 metres, big enough to destroy or seriously affect a city the size of London.
The closest pass will be the newly discovered asteroid 2016 UR36, which NASA estimates is between eight and 18 metres long.
The US Space Agency NASA had admitted in 1991, that they had discovered about 30 new “near earth objects” a week, and keeping a close watch on them as they cosmically brush past us.Though at that time it was thought that none of these asteroids hit the earth and passed away without causing any damage but from the data available from the earthquake which took place in October 1991 it appears that it was not an earthquake but was a quake caused by an asteroid when it brushed passed that part of the earth.
The 1991 earthquake in Uttarkashi was a quake caused by impact of an Asteroid but was taken as an earthquake inspite of the fact that a number of incidents connected with it prove that it was caused by the impact of Asteroid
The 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake occurred at 02:53:16 October 20 local time with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter Scale. This thrust event was instrumentally recorded and occurred along the Main Central thrust in the Uttarkashi and Garhwal regions of the Indian State of Uttarakhand. High intensity shaking resulted in the deaths of at least 768 people and the destruction of thousands of homes. The shake due to earthquake was not of the type which normally happens when an earthquake takes place. People felt a jolt with a sound and light unlike the rumbling sound accompanied by mild swing like action which continues for quite some time.
Though it was recorded like that officially but that was the time when a big Asteroid was going round the earth and NASA had warned that it may hit the earth at any place. Though nowhere such an impact has been reported but the way the earthquake of Uttarkashi took place it left many marks which go to prove that the asteroid had just brushed the earth at that point and caused all the damage which has later been linked with the plate movement and with the epicenter, which was worked out as per the force.
To start with the earthquake took place at Uttarkashi and due to impact it generated lot of light and heat which could be seen even at Dehradun and made a sound of the type when two metallic bodies hit each other. People got surprised to notice brightness at night which never comes out at the time of earthquake. The sound produced was unlike the one which one normally experiences at the time of earthquake. Secondly at the place of this impact the changes which took place were not of the type which normally takes place with earthquake. In that region the bridges, the culverts and electric poles and allied material got twisted unlike under the impact of earthquake where such items sink into the ground or otherwise get damaged. The cracks in the houses and roads were also of the type which are caused by heavy impact and not by an earthquake. The impact was so much that many of old houses even in Dehradun and adjoining places developed cracks which come out of the force due to impact of asteroid with the earth. The damages reported at that time gave indication as if it was not an earthquake but an impact of the Asteroid which just brushed pass the area. It was a mild impact which caused the type of damages which took place. Had it been a bigger impact the damages would have been much more.
The worst affected areas were located along the banks of the Bhagirathi valley, which is made up of soft alluvial soil. This soil was literally shaken by the quake and led to the collapse of houses and other buildings.
The point was raised by the author with the authorities concerned but there was no response as people were more concerned with providing relief and help to the affected people. No studies were made on this aspect and inspite of the discussions which brew no action was thought appropriate at that time to open the issue.
It has now been reported that an asteroid of about 650 metres will be finally past the earth on April. It is being reported by NASA that the space rock is yet to pass each of a data of about 1.8 million km. or about 4.6 times the distance between earth and moon. They say that now there is no possibility of the asteroid to collide with our planet – by the upcoming approach will be very close for an asteroid of this size. This asteroid was discovered in May 2014. By the Astronomour at the programme in collaboration with the University of Arizona the Surface the asteroid is twice time as that of the moon.
It is reported that it will approach earth from the direction of the sun and will visible in the night sky after April 19th. It would be visible in small optical telescopes for one or two nights before it fades away.
Block tectonic scientists argue that perhaps Almora and Uttarkashi are connected by a subterranean solid rock ‘block’. And, when the quake erupted at Almora, it was transmitted along the rock all the way to Uttarkashi, where the block ends – and erupted onto the unsuspecting area.
The path of the quake is traced along the local ‘faults’ in the area as the Nature tries to follow the path of least resistance. In the case of earthquake, this path is along existing ‘faults’.
It was expected that NASA may bring out the impact which has taken place but surprisingly no such reactions came from that side except that the earthquake took place in Uttarkashi.
However more studies can be done on the lines as stated above to pinpoint whether it was an earthquake or an impact of Asteroid on earth.
