Aftershocks may jolt NE for 2 years

Nepal quake

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, May 15: Aftershocks of the Nepal quake may continue to be felt for two years though their intensity would go on diminishing, experts claim.

“In case of such a big earthquake, it is possible that the aftershocks may be experienced for the next two years,” said senior seismologist Saurab Baruah.

Already, there have been over a 100 aftershocks since the 7.9 magnitude quake jolted the Himalayan region on April 25 last. One of the aftershocks measured 7.3 in magnitude.

In fact, the chain of aftershocks felt across the region was part of the ongoing adjustment or “relaxation process” in the Himalayan belt in the aftermath of the massive April 25 earthquake.

Seismologists have linked all post-April 25 quakes in the Himalayan region to the 7.9 magnitude quake.

“This is a peculiarity of the Himalayan plate. The epicenter may vary…but every tremor is an aftershock,” says Baruah.

These will carry on for a long time until the energy that was generated in the temblor is dissipated.

However, according to Baruah, there is “nothing to fear”. “There could be an increase in earthquake activity in the region in the coming five, six months. But there is nothing to worry. Generally, the magnitude of the aftershocks goes on decreasing,” the scientist at NERIST said.

The death toll due to the April 25 killer quake in the Himalayan tion, measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale, has crossed 8,000. While the country was barely recovering from the loss, a temblor measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit again on Tuesday, with its epicentre not far from Mount Everest — the world’s highest peak at 8,848 metres.

Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and capital New Delhi, besides the vulnerable Northeast were rocked by the tremors.

Tall buildings also shook in faraway Kochi in Kerala.

The series of disasters have drawn attention to the vulnerabilities of the Himalayan region, a complex domain.

The 2,500 km-long Himalayan arc extending from Kashmir in the Northwest to Aruchal Pradesh in the Northeast, is seismically “very active”.