Comments
The Koyna region of Maharashtra is one of the most active regions with tremors upto magnitude of 5 continuously occurring, more than four decades after the massive 6.3 magnitude one that struck the place in 1967.
In the wake of fresh interest on understanding large earthquakes that are causing havoc and unleashing tsunamis (the latest Japanese one being an example), the Indian scientific establishment is formulating an ambitious project to drill a deep borehole in the region and intensely study the earthquake activity. This would help in better understanding and possible forecast of earthquakes.
The proposal is to drill upto 7 km and study the physical, geological and chemical processes and properties of the earthquake zone in real time. This would be the first of its kind facility anywhere in the world when implemented. It would be an international project to be led by Indian scientists.
Discussing the details of the project were 70 earth scientists from across the country and about 25 from abroad (10 countries) at a workshop being conducted at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) for five days starting today.
The Koyna region, which is close to Mahabaleshwar, is the best known example of triggered (reservoir) earthquakes. In the region earthquakes occur in a very small area of 20 km x 30 km, providing a good opportunity to investigate the physics of earthquakes in a very accessible area within shallow depths, the NGRI scientists explained.
The Koyna dam is one of the largest dams, supplying water and hydroelectric power to Maharashtra. Some scientists believe that the seismicity associated with the Koyna reservoir is also unique in the world. Similarly, there is also a fault zone in the region about 8 km beneath the surface. Therefore, a deep borehole of over 7 km would give a good understanding of the character of the fault zone as well.
The NGRI has been doing a study of the earthquake activity of the region. Now the new initiative would require anywhere between Rs 200 to Rs 400 crore said Mr Y.J. Bhaskara Rao, acting Director.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will provide the main funding. ONGC, GSI and some international agencies also could provide financial support, he told newspersons here today on the sidelines of the workshop.
The MoES Secretary, Mr Shailesh Nayak, said the unique project would provide a better understanding of the earthquake processes in the Deccan traps region. A similar project to drill a deep borehole in the Arabian Sea was also being planned with the US.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.