Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh have witnessed six earthquakes in the last month, causing worry among locals and experts.
The magnitude of these tremors has been between 3 to 4 on the Richter scale, as per reports.
Quoting experts, a report by Umar Ujala said, “being in the category of seismic zones 4 and 5, earthquakes of magnitude 8 or more cannot be ruled out in Jammu Kashmir in the future.”
GM Bhatt, Professor, Department of Geology, University of Jammu, said that the main and Central Boundary Thrust is active in Jammu Kashmir. “The Main Boundary Thrust starts from Jammu Division and runs up to Himachal and the Central Boundary Thrust runs from Ramban District to Himachal,” he said.
Since the time of the formation of the Himalayan mountain range, its structure is such that fields and faults have remained in the entire area. ” Jammu Kashmir rests on the tectonic plate, in which earthquakes occur when there is immense pressure. If an earthquake of magnitude 6 occurs from Pakistan to Uttarakhand, then it will have a great impact on Jammu Kashmir,” he said.
He said that most of the earthquake tremors in Jammu Kashmir do not have their epicenter at a huge depth which makes the situation more dangerous. “If there is a high-intensity earthquake at this low depth, then it can cause huge destruction.”
The damage caused by an earthquake depends on the geographical location of the area of its impact. Kishtwar was hit by a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in 2013, but geographically, about 46,000 small and large construction structures were damaged there
Details of the fresh earthquakes in Jammu Kashmir
On 17 Feb, an earthquake with an epicenter occurred in Doda with an Intensity of 3.5. Its depth inside the ground was 5 Km.
16 February, Epicentre Ladakh, Intensity: 4.0: Depth 15 km.
On the same day (16th Feb) another earthquake occurred with its epicentre in Jammu Kashmir and the depth of 16 KMs. On 10th February, another earthquake hit the region with 3.8 magnitudes.
Another earthquake hit the Jammu Kashmir region on 29 January. The depth of the earthquake was 10 KM with a magnitude of 3.3 o the Richter scale.
22 Jan, Epicentre Doda, magnitude 4.0 Depth 83 Km inside the ground.