Are there similarities to earthquakes in India? Can energy from latent pressure be built up over the years?

Are there similarities to earthquakes in India? Can energy from latent pressure be built up over the years?

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography (Geomorphology)

• The Indian Plate, colliding into the Eurasian plate and tilting upwards, created the Himalayas.
• The most common type of earthquake in the Himalayan region is due to reverse faults because of the compressive forces between the two plates.
• Scientists have long warned of a massive, overdue earthquake in the Garhwal-Kumaon range here because of what is known about the pattern of quakes in the region.

• The records of the last 300 or so years suggest that those earthquakes that have occurred haven’t released all the pent-up energy and that’s why geologists think a major one — maybe even an 8-magnitude one — is overdue.
• In the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, energy from nearly 300 years of accumulated strain was released.

How much does the magnitude of earthquakes correlate to the damage they inflict?

• The magnitude of the earthquake not exactly corresponds to the death and devastation.
• The impact of earthquakes can be reduced by:
  • Proper implementation of laws and rules on the building code of that region.
  • Proper awareness and rapid rescue plans.
  • Construction as per the earthquake zone.

Case study:1

• Chile, a country with a long history of devastating earthquakes (over 9), is considered to be a model for earthquake preparedness.
  • Despite experiencing earthquakes with magnitudes over 8 in 2014 and 2015 casualties are extremely minimal due to years of strictly enforcing building codes.
  • This despite being a much poorer country than Japan, also known for its experience in earthquake-proofing structures.

Case study:2

• The 9-magnitude earthquake that caused a tsunami and a radiation leak in the nuclear power plant in the country’s Fukushima prefecture in 2011, didn’t damage the stability of the structure.