The Hindu : Kerala News : `Intensity of tremors decreasing'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

`Intensity of tremors decreasing'

By Our special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 30. Two aftershocks of the December 26 quake, both of off Sumatra, were recorded early today, according to the Met authorities here. The first one, of a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale, was recorded at 2.43 a.m. and the other, of a magnitude of 5.5, at 6.34 a.m. With this, a total of 57 aftershocks with a magnitude greater than five, have been recorded on the seismograph here since the massive quake measuring nine on the scale set off the killer tsunami waves.

The Met Director, M. D. Ramachandran, said the frequency and intensity of the aftershocks were decreasing. There was no likelihood of their triggering fresh tsunami waves and hence no tsunami warning had been issued. However, since the ocean would remain disturbed as long as the aftershocks continued, fishermen were advised not to put out to sea till tomorrow evening.

Mr. Ramachandran said seismic activity was expected to increase in the south-eastern Indian Ocean in future. It had been recently found that the tectonic plate which comprises the landmass from India to Australia had broken up into two and a new fault line had developed. It was to be noted that a quake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale was registered off Australia on December 23, just three days before the Sumatra quake.

Meanwhile, the manner in which tsunami "warnings" are being given, resulting in evacuation of the coastal residents even five days after the quake, has come in for criticism from seismologists. The lack of a central command system and a protocol on who should issue such warnings and in what way, has been blamed for this state of affairs.

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