A major earthquake can occur in the Himalayan region, especially in Uttarakhand. This apprehension has been expressed by the country’s leading geoscientists in their study. They say that energy is accumulating due to the friction of plates in the Himalayan region, the signs of which are being felt in the form of small earthquakes in the state and nearby areas.
For this reason, geologists from all over the country gathered in Dehradun in June. They discussed “Understanding Himalayan Earthquakes” at Wadia and “Earthquake Risk Assessment” at FRI Dehradun. In these, the scientists clearly said that now any major earthquake that occurs will have an intensity of about 7.0. They said that about 32 times more energy is released from an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude than the energy released in an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude. The number of slow earthquakes occurring at present is not so high that it can be said that all the energy has been released from the earth’s crust. Research has found that a few years or a few months before a major earthquake, the frequency of slow earthquakes increases.
According to the report of the National Center for Seismology, in the last 6 months, earthquakes of 1.8 to 3.6 magnitude have occurred 22 times in the state. The tremors of which were felt most in Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi and Bageshwar. Uttarakhand is in Zone 4 and 5 in terms of sensitivity. Earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude occurred in Uttarkashi in 1991 and 6.8 magnitude in Chamoli in 1999, since then no major earthquake has occurred. Due to which scientists are anticipating a major earthquake soon. Dr. Vineet Gehlot, Director of Wadia Institute, has said that the reason for this is the movement of geological plates being locked in Uttarakhand.
Prediction is very difficult
Three things are important in relation to earthquakes, when, where and how big an earthquake will occur. Although it is possible to predict where an earthquake can occur, but it is not possible to predict when and how big it will be. For this, two GPS have been installed in Uttarakhand, which will tell which area is getting the most energy, but for accurate information, their number needs to be increased.
Why does an earthquake occur?
When the pressure increases in the earth’s crust, cracks appear in the rocks, which causes mild earthquakes, but the water present in the earth’s crust starts filling these cracks, which stops the series of mild earthquakes, but then suddenly a big earthquake occurs. Such a trend was seen before the earthquake in Chamoli and Uttarkashi.
Plains or mountains, where will there be more damage?
In a workshop organized in Wadia, scientists said that whether it is a plain or a mountain, if earthquakes of equal intensity occur in both places, then the damage will be less in the Himalayan region and more in the plains. Major earthquakes have occurred at a depth of only about 10 km in the earth’s crust. These are three times more dangerous than earthquakes of greater depth. The earthquake that occurred in Nepal in the year 2015 occurred at a greater depth, due to which the damage was less according to its intensity.
The strength of Dehradun’s land will be tested
Keeping in view the sensitivity of earthquakes in the Himalayas, the central government has selected some cities of this region for study, which will be done by CSIR Bangalore. Dehradun has also been included in this because it is sensitive. In the study, it will be seen in different areas of the city what kind of rock is the land of Doon made of and what is its thickness. Earlier also Wadia and Geological Survey of India have done seismic microzonation in this direction, but now CSIR Bangalore has decided to do a detailed study in the direction of the strength of Doon
