A recent study had warned of a strong quake in the Himalayas
According to geologists, the regions between Kangra and Nepal-Bihar did not experience any earthquake for a long time. The region was the "maximum probable zone" for an earthquake.
A major quake in the Great Himalayan region was overdue for a long time, claim geologists. Scientists at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the apex research institution under the Department of Science and Technology, attributed the earthquake to the continuous movement of tectonic plates.
"The reasons (for the quake) are well known. All along the Himalayas, energy gets accumulated due to continuous relative movement of plates. The Indian plate is under thrusting beneath the Eurasian plate. Energy is released due to this movement in the form of earthquakes," said Dr. Ajay Paul, a senior scientist expert on Nepal Himalayas at the WIHG.
The Himalayan region has had four major earthquakes in the past 150 years. According to geologists, the regions between Kangra and Nepal-Bihar did not experience any earthquake for a long time. The region was the "maximum probable zone" for an earthquake.
Scientists at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), which has a specialised wing to study landslides, said the present devastation was a manifestation of the release of a large amount of energy generated due to motion of the tectonic plates. "The fragility and instability of the Himalayas has always been well known and documented. The occurrence of such an event cannot be prevented but the magnitude of the damage can certainly be minimised," said P.P. Dhyani, Director, GBPIHED.
"The entire Himalayan region does not have early warning systems. In countries like China they are absent from most of the range. We need to have systems that can detect at least the duration and intensity of the calamity. We need to generate datasets," he said.
A recent study, to ascertain landslide monitoring, carried out by GBPIHED, Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Nainital and Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) in Gandhinagar had warned of a strong possibility of earthquake in and around the Main Central Thrust (MCT) region in Himalayas that cover areas like Dharchula, Munsiyari, Uttarkashi and Joshimath and Chamoli in Uttarakhand.
The area between the north of the North Almora Thrust and at the base of the Himalayas, registers maximum strain rate and crustal shortening, which explains that this part is most probable for future earthquakes," the report stated.