Hyderabad: A leading meteorologist and geologist expert has warned that the Indian tectonic plate is moving roughly 5 cm per year, building up stress along the Himalayas and the possibility of major seismic events, including earthquakes, in the near future.
On February 21, Dr N Purnachandra Rao, the Chief scientist and seismologist at the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), said, “The Earth’s surface comprises various plates that are constantly in motion. The Indian plate is moving about 5 cm every year, resulting in the accumulation of stress along the Himalayas and raising the possibility of major earthquakes.”
“We have a strong network of 18 seismograph stations in Uttarakhand. The region, referred to as the seismic gap between Himachal and the western part of Nepal, including Uttarakhand, is prone to earthquakes that might occur any time,” the Chief scientist added.
According to the National Center for Seismology, a 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck 56 kilometres north of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, at 10:38 pm on February 20.
According to the agency, the epicentre was 10 kilometres below the surface of the earth.
The National Centre for Seismology said in a statement that, “An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred 56km north of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, at around 10:38 pm, yesterday. The depth of the earthquake was 10 km below the ground “.
An earthquake hit the NTR District of Andhra Pradesh’s town of Nandigama on February 19. No loss of life was reported in the incident.
