RAM SARAN TAMANG
KATHMANDU, April 22
The National Seismological Center (NSC) has said that the country may still not be safe from earthquake. The organization claimed that two massive tectonic plates that provide foundation to Nepal are yet to settle properly and therefore the nation continues to be under threat.
Before the April 25 magnitude 7.8-earthquake, the nation used to receive about 10 to 15 tremors in a day, Lok Bijay Adhikari, chief of NSC, under the Department of Mines and Geology (DGM), said adding that these daily shocks spiked in the aftermath of the Gorkha earthquake.
“We recorded up to 1,500 aftershocks across the country within the 24 hours of the catastrophic quake. At present, the numbers of daily shocks have receded to about 30 to 40 per day,” he informed. He claimed that country would continue to be at risk of earthquakes until the numbers of these daily shocks get back to the 10-15 per day normal shocks range.
“Unless the number of aftershocks recedes to 10-15 per day as recorded in days before the Gorkha earthquake, we have to assume that the tectonic plates haven’t settled properly. And unless these plates get back to their places, our country continues to be at risk of earthquakes,” said Adhikari.
Although we have reached the one-year mark of the quake that killed almost 10,000 people, NSC hinted that it is yet to conclude its research into the Gorkha earthquake. Seismologists at the department continue observation and collection of data.
Elaborating on the potential destructive capacities of the Gorkha earthquake, the NSC chief said that Kathmandu received lesser damages as the earthquake had four times weaker wave frequencies. “If we consider the Gorkha earthquake in light of the 1934 quake, Kathmandu should have experienced stronger frequency waves. This did not happen and due to which impact of the quake in the valley was four times less than it could have been,” informed Adhikari.
“We still have lots of such unanswered questions. We are seeking to unravel many mysteries surrounding the quake,” said Adhikari, adding that his department has prioritized studying the patterns of the aftershocks.
Various international organizations have joined hand with NSC in an effort to discover more facts related to the last year’s quake. American firm California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) has helped NSC to set up 29 GPS stations across the country, while France’s Department Analysis and Surveillance of Environment (DASE) has contributed for establishing 29 main stations. Likewise, around 100 temporary monitoring stations has been set up with help from various international organizations, the NSC informed.
Since the earthquake, many international agencies and researchers have researched into the earthquake either by collaborating with their own national agencies or with the NSC.
“Though many researchers have collaborated with us for researching the earthquake, some have conducted the research independently using data provided by their own country’s stations,” said NSC chief Adhikari. “Such reports are less reliable compared to those prepared in collaboration with us,” he said while doubting authenticity of some researches on the topic.
Although we have reached the one-year mark of the quake that killed almost 10,000 people, NSC hinted that it is yet to conclude its research into the Gorkha earthquake. Seismologists at the department continue observation and collection of data.
Elaborating on the potential destructive capacities of the Gorkha earthquake, the NSC chief said that Kathmandu received lesser damages as the earthquake had four times weaker wave frequencies. “If we consider the Gorkha earthquake in light of the 1934 quake, Kathmandu should have experienced stronger frequency waves. This did not happen and due to which impact of the quake in the valley was four times less than it could have been,” informed Adhikari.
“We still have lots of such unanswered questions. We are seeking to unravel many mysteries surrounding the quake,” said Adhikari, adding that his department has prioritized studying the patterns of the aftershocks.
Various international organizations have joined hand with NSC in an effort to discover more facts related to the last year’s quake. American firm California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) has helped NSC to set up 29 GPS stations across the country, while France’s Department Analysis and Surveillance of Environment (DASE) has contributed for establishing 29 main stations. Likewise, around 100 temporary monitoring stations has been set up with help from various international organizations, the NSC informed.
Since the earthquake, many international agencies and researchers have researched into the earthquake either by collaborating with their own national agencies or with the NSC.
“Though many researchers have collaborated with us for researching the earthquake, some have conducted the research independently using data provided by their own country’s stations,” said NSC chief Adhikari. “Such reports are less reliable compared to those prepared in collaboration with us,” he said while doubting authenticity of some researches on the topic.
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