A significant earthquake in the Himalayan region is highly likely, according to scientists, who also stressed the importance of improved preparation to limit the loss of life and property.
After a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake rattled the isolated Himalayan region of western Nepal early Wednesday, killing six people, tremors were felt in Uttarkhand.
Ajay Paul, a senior geophysicist at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, asserted that the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates is what gave rise to the Himalayas.
According to Paul, because of the Indian plate’s ongoing pressure from the Eurasian plate, strain energy that has built up beneath it periodically releases itself in the form of earthquakes.
“It is a regular and constant process for earthquakes to occur as a result of the buildup of strained energy under the Himalayas. The entire Himalayan region is quite susceptible to tremors, and there is always a good chance of a huge earthquake “Paul spoke.
According to him, a future earthquake might have a richter scale magnitude of seven or higher.
Paul, however, asserted that an earthquake or the release of strained energy cannot be forecast. “Nobody can predict when it will occur. It might occur right away, in a month, or in a century “explained he.
Over the previous 150 years, the Himalayan region has experienced four significant earthquakes, including those that struck Shillong in 1897, Kangra in 1905, Bihar and Nepal in 1934, and Assam in 1950.
He claimed that the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology frequently dispatches teams to villages and educational institutions to raise awareness of the steps that can be taken to lessen the effects of earthquakes.
According to Naresh Kumar, a senior geophysicist at the institute, Uttarakhand has been classified as being in seismic zones IV and V because of its susceptibility to earthquakes.
According to him, some 60 earthquake observatories have been built in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to continuously track seismic activity.
