Aftershocks will continue: Experts

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26

A day after powerful earthquake wreaked havoc on Nepal, fresh aftershocks jolted parts of the Himalayan nation and India. Seismologists said aftershocks would continue maybe for a couple of weeks. 

Aftershocks are a normal occurrence after an earthquake of high intensity. What happens is that a lot of earth material is displaced in an earthquake, which takes time to settle in its original place — reach an equilibrium. Every time a movement occurs, energy is released and waves travel to the surface causing aftershocks. 

Therefore, caution needs to be exercised in regions that are badly affected, primarily because of the damage caused to the property. An earthquake does not kill but buildings do, is the common belief.

However, experts are surprised at the intensity of the aftershock that shook this morning. The kind of tectonic activity taking place in the region has led seismologists to believe that the “big one” is yet to occur. Therefore, the yesterday’s powerful earthquake is a warning the region in more than one ways.

Tectonically, a lot of movement is taking place in the region, increasing the possibility of a powerful earthquake after every 50 or 60 years. Earthquakes occur due to the converging of the two tectonic plates, in this case it is the Indian plate and the overriding Eurasian plate.