Development of Faults and Prediction of Earthquakes in the Himalayas
Keywords:
Faults and faulting, Himalayan thrusts, Oil trap, Seismicity, Superimposed deformationAbstract
Recurrence period of high magnitude earthquakes in the Himalayas may be of the order of hundreds of years but
a large number of smaller earthquakes occur every day. The low intensity earthquakes are not felt by human
beings but recorded in sensitive instruments called seismometers. It is not possible to get rid of these earthquakes
because the mountain building activity is still going on. Continuous compression and formation of faults in the
region is caused by northward movement of the Indian plate. Some of the larger faults extend from Kashmir to
Arunachal Pradesh. Strain build up in the region results in displacement along these faults that cause earthquakes.
Types of these faults, mechanism of their formation and problems in predicting earthquakes in the region are
discussed
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References
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