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What causes quakes? Baramulla, Kashmir quakes
Earthquakes are considered the most powerful and devastating force on Earth. They can unleash devastating damages and inflict catastrophic loss of life and property. The latest Baramulla earthquake further refreshes the earthquake vulnerability of this region. The paper discusses the causes of earthquakes, their occurrence in Baramulla and Kashmir, and how people can be made secure during seismic activities.
What Causes an Earthquake?
An earthquake also referred to as a tremor or temblor, is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Episodic slip, where the earth's tectonic plates move past one another, is an underlying mechanism that is one of the causes. Most likely, there is a hypocenter or epicenter that marks the first or actual spot inside the Earth where the rock first began to break.
The major reason for earthquakes is the movement of tectonic plates. The Earth's crust is divided into major and minor tectonic plates floating on the liquid-phase layer of the mantle underneath. These pages are still in movement, albeit ever so slowly. When they interact - when they collide, slide forward, or away -, stress builds up in the aeroplane's boundaries. The rocks become stronger and dispatch earthquakes.
Types of Earthquakes
Based on causes, a few types of earthquakes include:
- Tectonic earthquake: The highest in magnitude because of the movement of tectonic plates.
- Volcanic earthquakes: These are caused by volcanic activities.
- Human-induced earthquakes: These are caused by human activities, such as mining, large reservoirs causing river damming, and geothermal extraction.
- Earthquakes: These earthquakes are caused by the collapse of large caves and underground mines.
Know more about Earthquake activity in Baramulla and Kashmir
It is located in one of the highest earthquake belts in the world, and it is in a highly active earthquake region around Baramulla. The birth of the Himalayas is a result of the shocking collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate. The collision is more or less still on, producing regular earthquakes responsible for making this region among the most seismically active in the world.
In the past, several big earthquakes occurred in Kashmir. The 2005 7.6 Richter magnitude earthquake broke countless things in Indian-administered Kashmir and the Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir, killing thousands. This act gives a hint regarding the vulnerability of the region.
Baramulla is located in the western division of Jammu and Kashmir and lies in an earthquake zone. This area has a history of getting shaken at regular intervals of time and the recent earthquake is just another example of the seismic activity in this area. The earthquake here is primarily due to tectonic forces created by the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
Why earthquakes occur in Kashmir
The Kashmir valley being the part of Himalayan earthquake belt falls under the greatest earthquake risk in the world. The Indian plate is moving north at about 5cm a year and colliding with the Eurasian plate. The collision pushes the Earth's crust to the west and northwest and makes it slip and slide. This piles great stress on the local faults. When the voltage is released, an earthquake takes place.
Special Problems of Baramulla
The active fault lines have put Baramulla in close proximity to them, increasing the susceptibility. Some of the major and important geological tumors or faults that have been identified to cause seismic activities in the region include the Main Boundary Thrust and Main Central Thrust. The Chief Geologist of Jammu and Kashmir states that the Indian Plate is also subducting along the Eurasian Plate under the MBT, which results in a huge tectonic stress.
Recent Seismic Activities in Kashmir
"In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the seismic activity in the entire valley of Kashmir. This upsurge can be related to the ongoing tectonic processes in the region. The recent earthquake in Baramula is part of this larger trend. Although the magnitude of the earthquake is small, it is universally felt throughout the region, which, in turn, panicked people out over there."
The recent earthquake made the houses shift, and some partial damages have been recorded in some areas. Fortunately, no death has been reported, but it was highly destructive to infrastructure. This earthquake, however, was a real warning for future severe quakes that could be very dangerous and disastrous.
Prediction and Problems in an Earthquake
One single prediction in earthquake work relates to the time and location that an earthquake will occur. Despite improvements having increased in technology and knowledge of seismic techniques, in most cases, earthquakes are not accurately predictable. Scientists may be able to point out the risk areas and come up with an estimate of the possibility an earthquake will occur but not able to establish when and where.
An earthquake is going to occur sometime, but at this moment there is no means to establish the time and place of its occurrence.
Why It Is So Hard to Predict Earthquakes:
Earthquakes are the result of complex interactions between tectonic plates; the conditions that lead to earthquakes can differ sharply because stress generation along faults is not uniform, and the smallest change in ground conditions is enough to lead to a large change in seismic activity. In addition, the Earth's crust is not uniform: it comprises different types of rocks, each of which has different properties, adding yet another layer of complexity to earthquake prediction.
Current Techniques
Seismologists use the following methodologies to investigate and study earthquakes:
- Transducers: These are gadgets that sense, register, and measure seismic waves, their strength, duration, and their frequency.
- GPS and InSAR: Used to measure the deformation of the land, it is able to detect the movement of the tectonic plates.
- Early Earthquake Warning System: These systems can provide a few seconds to a few minutes of warning, which is very important for preventive action.
Why Baramulla is prone to earthquakes
As it is located in the Himalayan region, Baramulla is highly sensitive to earthquakes. The constant collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates leads to heavy tectonic force. Moreover, it is a complex geological constructions that consist of many faults and incisions that may lead to a great vulnerability to earthquake hazards.
A major reason due to which strong seismic activity is observed in Baramulla is the presence of high regional strength and other strong folds in the region. These faults act as weak points in the crust of the earth where tectonic energy is more likely to be concentrated, and they cause vulnerability to cracking and giving out earthquakes.
The earthquake zoning map of India shows that the entire Baramulla district comes under zone V, the highest risk zone level of approaching hazard. This indicates that the area is very prone to seismic activity and that major earthquakes could occur in the future.
Earthquake Zones of India Other regions in India that are considered prone to earthquakes:-
Northeast India: Unique triangular tectonic region, having in its convergence the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate and Burmese Plate, and is subjected to earthquake hazards.
Western Himalaya: Being a part of the Himalayan seismic belt, like Kashmir, is also subjected to earthquake hazards.
Indo-Gangetic Plains: Though not as seismically active as the Himalayan ranges, this region is still vulnerable because of its close proximity to strong faults. Gujarat: Especially Kutch, where the 2001 Bhuj earthquake struck Gujarat.
Himalaya: Earthquakes
The Himalayas are one of the lowest yet strongest mountain ranges across the globe. These mountains stand as a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. As a result of the collision, the Himalayas have been literally uplifted, creating enough space for intense seismic activity to take place across the Himalayas.
Technical Activities:
The northward movement of the Indian Plate is still impacting the Eurasian Plate. The result is thrust faults, in which one piece of the Earth's crust is pushed up over another piece. These faults are critical structural points of stress and lead to earthquakes.
Seismic faults:
Seismologists have discovered many seismic faults in the Himalayan region—places that have not felt a major earthquake in a long time. These faults are considered potential sites for future earthquakes because they can cause stress at the end of a major earthquake event.
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