Unfamiliar lineament among Assam earthquake factors

An unfamiliar lineament is among four factors behind frequent earthquakes in northern Assam’s Sonitpur area.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2021

A lineament is a linear feature in a landscape dictated by an underlying geological structure such as a fault.

According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Sonitpur district lies within a tectonically complex triangular area bounded by the east-west trending Atherkhet Fault, the northwest-southeast trending Kopili Fault and a north-south trending lineament.

The two faults and the lineament, along with the oblique convergence of the Indian plate, have caused frequent earthquakes.

The National Centre of Seismology recorded 29 earthquakes of magnitude varying from 2.6 to 4.7 in Sonitpur after the 6.4 tremblor on April 28 that damaged several buildings, bridges and a river embankment.

The northeast is demarcated as Seismic Zone V, which indicates a zone with high vulnerability. The Indian plate is moving northeast toward the Eurasian plate in the Himalayan region, their oblique collision and release of stress and strain accumulated in the local tectonic or fault environments lead to earthquakes.