A minor earthquake measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale jolted Jammu Kashmir on Saturday, increasing the number of temblors to strike to 12 in the last five days, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).
The NCS said the quake occurred at 4.32 a.m. on Saturday with latitude 32.87 degrees north and longitude 75.46 degrees east.
The epicenter was 26 km southwest of Bhaderwah town in the Jammu division and its depth was 10 km inside the earth’s crust.
In the last five days, tremors were reported in the Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts of the Jammu division.
Some local earth scientists have cautioned that these small tremors could be the precursor of a major seismic event in the offing, IANS reported.
Others have said that these were beneficial because through these small occurrences the built-up pressure inside the earth is released that can avoid a major seismic event.
Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a professor of Geology in Jammu Kashmir spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said, “This region has been tectonically active since long time and in the recent past. There is likelihood of more such jolts in the region and a bigger one is likely to happen anytime in near future.”
He said that the region is active. Generally before the bigger jolt smaller one occur in continuity. It may be in the offing. The latest earthquake of Me 5.7 occurred in 2013. Prior to that Mw 6.2 occurred in 1962 with epicenter around Chamba and of Mw 6 in Udhampur around that time. The seismic activity is a continuous process in the region. Successive events in the last four days is a concern.
“People of the region need to take precautionary measures and know Dos and not to Dos. Awareness about construction of buliding measure and location of the such structure,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
“Because of active tectonics the region of Chamba, Kishtwar, Udhampur and Katra is prone to earthquakes and falls in seismic zone iv, he told The Kashmiriyat.