Assam tremor highlights vulnerability of North East India to large earthquakes

Source(s): Down To Earth

Experts say there is a considerable knowledge and policy gap regarding earthquakes in North East India that must be bridged to formulate quake mitigation plans

By Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya

A considerable knowledge and policy gap regarding earthquakes in North East India would have to be fixed if effective quake mitigation plans were to be formulated, experts said April 28, 2021, a day when a big earthquake rocked Assam.

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The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, occurred near Dhekiajuli in the Sonitpur district of Assam at about 7:51 am April 28, 2021, 80 kilometres northeast of Guwahati.

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A tectonic depression filled up by the alluvium of the Kopilli river and its tributaries, the Kopili fault zone has witnessed many seismic activities in the past including the 1869 earthquake (7.8  magnitude) and the 1943 earthquake (7.3 magnitude).

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Bora said a considerable portion of the Kopili fault zone and its neighbouring areas are characterised by alluvial soils that have a higher potential of trapping seismic waves, making the region the most earthquake prone zone in North East India.

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Hazards Earthquake
Country and region India
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