comScore
Active Stocks
Fri Sep 29 2023 15:59:14
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 129 1.78%
  1. NTPC share price
  2. 245.65 3.3%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 199.85 -0.45%
  1. State Bank Of India share price
  2. 598.7 1.48%
  1. Wipro share price
  2. 406.25 0.11%
Business News/ News / India/  Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh hit by mild tremors
Back

Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh hit by mild tremors

The National Center for Seismology reported that Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand was hit by a mild earthquake of magnitude 3.6 on Richter Scale on Friday at 12:55 IST

3.6 magnitude earthquake hits Pithoragarh in UttarakhandPremium
3.6 magnitude earthquake hits Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand

Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand was hit by a mild earthquake of 3.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale on Friday. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported that the earthquake occurred at 12:55 Indian Standard Time (IST).

"Earthquake of Magnitude:3.6, Occurred on 19-08-2022, 12:55:55 IST, Lat: 29.96 & Long: 80.12, Depth: 5 Km, Location: 43km NNW of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand," the NCS tweeted.

Earlier in the day, NCS had tweeted about another earthquake of magnitude 3.1 on the Richter Scale that hit South-Southwest of Jammu and Kashmir's Hanley village.

The tweet read, "Earthquake of Magnitude:3.1, Occurred on 19-08-2022, 12:02:14 IST, Lat: 31.89 & Long: 78.67, Depth: 5 Km ,Location: 92km SSW of Hanley, Jammu & Kashmir, India," NCS tweeted.

Both the places that recorded seismic activity lie in the Zone-5 of of Indian seismic zonal map signifying that both the places are at very high risk in terms of vulnerability to earthquakes.

Seismic zones of India
View Full Image
Seismic zones of India (NIDM)

Himalayas are prone to earthquakes

The Himalayan mountain range owes its origin to tectonic plate movements thus it is prone to earthquakes. The Eurasian and the Indian plates collided to form the highest mountain rage of the world.

Tectonic plate movement that led to formation of Himalayas
View Full Image
Tectonic plate movement that led to formation of Himalayas (USGS)

A we trace the history of the Himalayas, 40-50 million years ago, the Indian and Eurasian plates collided due to tectonic forces. The Eurasian plate was partly crumpled and buckled up above the Indian plate but due to their low density/high buoyancy neither continental plate could be subducted. This caused the continental crust to thicken due to folding and faulting by compressional forces pushing up the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau.

The tectonic movement of the plates continue even now at times causing the compresssional forces to cause tremors in the places along the Himalayas.

With inputs from ANI.

"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Updated: 19 Aug 2022, 05:10 PM IST
Next Story
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App