Uttarakhand fault locked for 115km, storing energy for 8.1 quake: Study warns Himalayas to Delhi at risk

Dehradun (The Uttam Hindu): A massive, destructive upheaval is taking shape within the serene and lush Himalayas. The ongoing friction and collision between the Indian and Tibetan tectonic plates is accumulating enormous energy underground. A joint study by scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the University of New Mexico in the US, and the Central University of Tamil Nadu has revealed a dire warning that this energy stored beneath Uttarakhand could at any time erupt into a massive earthquake of magnitude 8.1.

The 'Main Himalayan Thrust' is stuck in 115 kilometers, the Himalayas are rising every year

Researchers, after analyzing the precise data of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Japan's ALOS-2 radar satellite, found that the 'Main Himalayan Thrust' (MHT) fault located beneath Uttarakhand is completely 'locked' (stuck) in a width of about 115 kilometers. The Indian plate is applying pressure towards the north at a speed of 18 millimeters per year, but due to the fault being locked, the plates are not able to slide. As a result, the energy is not able to escape and the upper Himalayas are rising 4 to 6 millimeters every year. Scientists estimate that this 'rubber band' stretching inside the ground is absorbing the energy equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 every 100 years.

The 'Central Seismic Gap', which has been quiet for centuries, is increasing the worries of scientists

Scientists call this sensitive region the 'Central Himalayan Seismic Gap'. There has been no major earthquake in this region for the last several hundred years, which directly means that the pressure of energy inside the earth is continuously increasing. Earlier, there was disagreement among scientists on whether the fault was partially or completely locked, but this new study has made it clear that the tectonic plates in both Garhwal and Kumaon regions are stuck very strongly. According to the scientists of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 to 8 is certain to occur in the Himalayas, the only question is of time.

Not just the mountains, the shadow is also looming over the plains from Delhi-NCR to UP-Bihar

The research has warned that if this huge energy is released in one stroke, its widespread impact will not be limited to Uttarakhand only, but the plains of Ganga-Yamuna (Indo-Gangetic Plain) can also be hit by a massive devastation. About 40 percent of the country's population lives in this belt, which includes densely populated cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Patna. Scientists have warned that uncontrolled construction in the mountains and multi-storey buildings being constructed without seismic code should be stopped immediately and the disaster management system will have to be strengthened on a war footing by retrofitting old buildings, schools and hospitals.