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Three earthquakes hit Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Chamoli in 3 days
This is not the first earthquake in Bageshwar area in recent times. In January last year, an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter Scale hit Bageshwar. In February 2020, Bageshwar was hit by an earthquake measuring 4.7.
Seismic tremors measuring 2.5 on the Richter Scale were felt in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district on Tuesday, according to data from the National Center for Seismology.
The earthquake occurred at 12.05 am in Bageshwar about 5 km beneath the surface of the earth.
This is the third earthquake in the state in the last three days. On Monday evening, at around 7.19 pm, Pithoragarh was hit by an earthquake, measuring 2.8 on the Richter Scale. On Sunday, tremors measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale were felt in Chamoli district.
This is not the first earthquake in Bageshwar area in recent times. In January last year, an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter Scale hit Bageshwar. In February 2020, Bageshwar was hit by an earthquake measuring 4.7. At least two people, including a woman and a girl were injured after the earthquake hit the district at around 6.30 am, causing panic among residents who soon came out of their houses, added officials.
The National Center for Seismology (NCS) is the nodal agency of the Centre under the earth sciences ministry for monitoring earthquake activity in the country on a 24X7 basis.
Dr Kalachand Sain, Director, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Studies said these small tremors that are being reported in the state for the last three days are due to release of accumulated stress in the Himalayan region in the area. “We are looking into the data related to these tremors to check what exactly is happening in the area,” he said.
Earthquakes continue to shake up the Himalayas. In August 2021, tremors measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale were felt in Dehradun district. On December 1, 2020, an earthquake hit Haridwar after a gap of 40 years. The earthquake measuring 3.9 was reported from the Haridwar region at 9:41 am. Experts pointed out that the source of the earthquake was due to stress release in the Himalayan Frontal Fault which is located in this area. On December 8, 2019 Joshimath area was hit by an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter Scale. On November 12, 2019 an earthquake measuring 4.5 was felt in Pithoragarh district. In September 2019, an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter Scale was reported from Chamoli district. In February 2017, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake had struck at a depth of 16 km near Rudraprayag.
The Himalayas are the youngest mountain chain (around 50 million years old) in the world, and one which is still rising (around 5 mm per year) due to the Indian plate folding under the Tibetan plate. Uttarakhand being a Himalayan state reports high seismic activity, with most areas falling under Seismic Zones IV and V.
