No possibilities of a massive earthquake in India soon, say scientists

No possibilities of a massive earthquake in India soon, say scientists

By NewsGram Staff Writer

A group of Indian scientists have stated that there is no unusual seismic activity or abnormal increase in changes in the earth's surface in India's northeast. This statement has eschewed the rumors that warned of a massive earthquake being overdue in some parts of Himalayas.

The scientists have also positioned the fact that no two strong earthquakes have come in the Himalayas immediately after one another.

Notably, more than 5,000 people were killed in Nepal following Saturday's powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake. The tremors also caused causalities in India and Tibet.

Experts from Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) stated that the 2,500-km-long Himalayan chain starting from Kashmir in the northwest to Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast is seismically "very active."

The motion between tectonic plates creates tension over time, and rocks at the surface split in response. When the pressure gathers, every 150-200 km stretch of the 2,500-km-long Himalayas can be jolted by a high magnitude earthquake in 150-200 years.

There were a few reports that made rounds that powerful tremor is overdue in Assam or Uttrakhand, however, the researchers pointed out that no indicators have proven such reports.

A.P. Singh, scientist, ISR, told a news agency, "Statistics and historical earthquake list say that an earthquake of magnitude 8 or above is overdue in Uttarakhand or Assam. It is, however, not possible to say that it may happen today or 50 years from now as we neither know where the accumulation of stress has reached the elastic limit nor when."

He also mentioned, "It is to be mentioned that there is no unusual increase in seismicity and the GPS (Global Positioning System) network spread all over northeast India has not shown any abnormal increase in crustal deformation in recent years. Hence no sign of large earthquake coming is observed."

The Himalayas contain three thrust belts, which are seismic in nature.

A senior scientist, Sankar Kumar Nath, at the IIT Kharagpur said that the Nepal earthquake surfaced from the main boundary thrust. He added, "If you look at the Himalayas, we have had large earthquakes and greatest of the great earthquakes are still possible. Whenever there is an earthquake, it generates a slip of about several meters. This is due to a large magnitude (around 8). The Himalayas has the potential to generate a 9 magnitude earthquake."

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