Topics Covered: Disaster management.
Assam earthquake:
Context:
An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on the Richter scale hit Assam recently.
Epicentre:
- The preliminary analysis shows that the events are located near to Kopili Fault closer to Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT).
- The area is seismically very active falling in the highest Seismic Hazard zone V associated with collisional tectonics where Indian plate sub-ducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.
What is Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT)?
HFT, also known as the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), is a geological fault along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
What is a fault?
A fault as “a fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture”.
Need of the hour:
The Northeast is located in the highest seismological zone, so we must have constant earthquake preparedness at all levels. Continuous tectonic stress keeps building up particularly along the faultlines.
Background:
Historical and instrumentally recorded earthquake data show the region has seen several “moderate to large earthquakes”. The worst of these was the great Assam-Tibet Earthquake that occurred on Independence Day in 1950.
Sources: Indian Express.
