Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh Felt Back-To-Back Tremors
Recently several earthquakes of low intensity have been recorded in Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh within a span of 24 hours. It may be noted that the geological structure of the Himalayas makes this region particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.
- This is because its geology is mainly determined by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian plate. According to scientists, this collision is still going on.
- The Indian plate is subducting under the Eurasian plate in the north and north-east direction.
Geology of the Himalayas in its southern part consists of the following three major tectonic units:
- Main Central Thrust (MCT)
- Main Boundary Thrust (MBT)
- Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) or Main Frontal Thrust (MFT).
Of these, MCT is the highest and oldest. It is a downward fault in the northernmost direction. The MCT forms a tectonic contact between the Great and the Lesser Himalayas. The MBT separates the Lesser Himalayas and the Shivalik Himalayas. The HFT is the southernmost and newest thrust.
All these three faults connect with the ‘Basal Detachment Plane’. It is called ‘Decollement’ in geophysical language. This plane is called ‘Main Himalayan Thrust’ (MHT).
Both the MBT and HFT faults are believed to be more active than the MCT in the present era.
There is a stretch of about 700 km in the central Himalayas where the MFT has shown no signs of fragmentation for several centuries. This is called the ‘Central Seismic Gap’. Seismic gap zones are areas at high risk for future earthquakes of greater magnitude.
Source – Indian Express