Scientists of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Allahabad University, have found evidence of a strong earthquake that occurred 140 crore years ago on the Chitrakoot-Satna border region.
Many distorted structures, found on Hanumandhara mountain (Vindhya Parvat), about 3.5 km from Chitrakoot Dham, reflect the underground changes of that time.
According to Professor J.K. Pati and fellow at the depart- ment Anuj Kumar Singh, the formation of these deformation structures is related to a combination of several other process- es including gravitational insta- bility, liquefaction and generat- ed by seismic tremors.
Now, like Jabalpur, it should not be assumed that strong seismic tremors cannot occur in this part of central India. Like the collision zone of the Himalayas, these tracts of cen- tral India can also be affected by
intense seismic activity as evidence shows, he added.
Singh said that for a long time, the Central Indian region had been considered stable from the seismic point of view.
The scientists say that importantly, this study also suggests active tectonics/seismic activities during the continuous evolution of the Vindhyan Basin, contrary to the earlier propositions.
The occurrence of earthquakes helps scientists to understand the internal structure of the earth, although when the intensity is high, they may cause a huge loss of life and property.
The researchers said that though we cannot prevent earthquakes, their hazardous effects can be controlled/minimised by carefully following the guidelines of the government, especially the National Disaster Management