ALMORA: The northern Himalayan region has experienced an average of 200 earthquakes annually for the past 27 years, a Kumaon University study has revealed. While most tremors are mild, two to three quakes exceeding magnitude 4 strike each year, highlighting constant seismic unrest in the world’s youngest and highest mountain range.Led by Dr Santosh Joshi of Kumaon University’s Geology Department, the research underscores continuous tectonic activity. Uttarakhand, especially Pithoragarh, is frequently affected. Shallow epicentres (10–20 km) indicate stress release closer to the surface.Dr Joshi’s comprehensive study, Active Tectonics of Garhwal-Kumaon Himalaya, was conducted under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. He analysed earthquake data from 1991 to 2018.“During this 27-year period, approximately 4,200 earthquake tremors, ranging from magnitude 2 to over 4, were recorded across the northern Himalayan belt,” Dr Joshi stated. “This data offers an unprecedented long-term perspective, confirming it as highly tectonically active.”The Himalayas result from the Indian-Eurasian plate collision. This subduction builds immense stress, released as earthquakes. Dr Joshi’s research focused on the Main Central Thrust (MCT), also known as the Himalayan Seismic Belt, a major fault.
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