Hyderabad: Earthquakes in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, especially Andhra Pradesh, cannot be ruled out.
Hyderabad has already been noted as seismically active. Mobile belts, which are still active in the southern part of the subcontinent, could pose a problem.
The state could face the threat of earthquakes from two different mobile belts — the Eastern Ghats and the Satpura mobile belt lying north of the state.
However, the threat from the Satpura belt is relatively less as the state is not directly located above it.
Scientists from the National Geophysical Research Institute analysed the strong earthquakes that had rocked the subcontinent in recent times.
The two major earthquakes — Kashmir in 2005 and Latur in 1993 — were found to have been caused by the interaction of a main boundary thrust with fluid filled discontinuity in the crust.
The Satpura belt, north of the Dharwar craton, and the Eastern Ghats, which pass through the state, are two mobile belts that can affect AP. Scientists say any movement in these sub-ducts would lead to stress leading to seismic activity.
Prof. D.C. Mishra, emeritus scientist, NGRI, said, “These are very old mobile belts that are still active. The Himalayas are also mobile belts and they are the most active right now. The Satpura and Eastern Ghats are not as active as the Himalayas.”
Scientists say very high seismic activity is being observed in the Himalayan ranges.
The Kashmir earthquake of 2005 had a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale and was one of the most devastating.
Researchers also said that an earthquake occurs when there stress in the mobile belts reaches its peak.
“There is always concentration stress in the mobile belts which is part of the plate tectonics. That stress gets accumulated, but if it goes beyond a limit, there will be an earthquake,” Prof Mishra explained.
