NGRI unveils India’s first earthquake strain map

Hyderabad: In a significant step to understand and analyse the deformation (strain) in the Earth's crust caused by tectonic forces, the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) developed India’s first strain map which enables seismologists to assess earthquake vulnerability in the Himalayan and Indo-Gangetic regions.

During a review meeting with Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology in the city on Sunday, Dr. Prakash Kumar, Director of CSIR-NGRI, called the strain map a critical step toward national disaster preparedness.

Kumar presented the central institute’s significant achievements in Earth sciences, particularly in the areas of seismic hazard mapping, resource exploration, and infrastructure support. He also said that, “The institute is also conducting deep seismic profiling under a national program aimed at decoding the crustal structure of central India, which holds implications for both tectonic studies and mineral exploration.”

Strain refers to the deformation that occurs in rocks when they are under pressure from other rocks, usually due to movements of continental plates that are sliding, colliding, or subducting against each other. A strain map shows the rate and pattern of deformation (strain) in the Earth's crust caused by tectonic forces. It’s often created using GPS data or seismic data.

Using data from 1,252 GPS stations along the Himalayas, the scientists at Geological Survey of India had published a “strain map” of the Himalayas in 2021. The strain map identified regions that had the greatest odds of generating earthquakes of magnitude above 8 and their extent.

However, the strain map created by NGRI not only enables local State governments to enhance disaster preparedness but will also help geophysicists to map regions in the Himalayas which are prone to earthquakes in the future.