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Wadia institute to have facilities to study low intensity quakes

Staff Correspondent

Geophysical observatory also to be set up

DEHRA DUN: The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology here is setting up a ten-station telemetry array of broadband seismometers in the Garhwal Himalaya that will be able to detect earthquakes of the magnitude of 3 or less on the Richter scale. This will be in addition to the existing earthquake-monitoring network. Disclosing this here recently, the Institute Director, B. R. Arora, said detection and continuous monitoring and study of low-magnitude earthquakes was important to understand various manifestations on the earth's surface. These manifestations include loosening of hillsides and landslides that are common in Uttaranchal hills. To further augment it's facilities to understand the deep geodynamic process taking place inside the earth, the Institute is establishing a multi- parametric Geophysical Observatory in Uttaranchal for monitoring earthquake precursors under the Mission Mode Project on Seismicity of the Department of Science and Technology. This observatory, Dr Arora, said would be the first of its kind where more than nine parameters would be monitored. It would be equipped with broadband seismometer, accelerometer, GPS receiver, radio emanometer, electro- magnetic emission sensors, water- level monitoring system as well as geomagnetic and electric sensors. The observatory would also be able to register gravity changes of very low levels, he said. Another initiative of the Institute aimed at bridging the gap between science and society was the Himalayan School Earthquake Programme ( HIMSELP), he said.

Under the programme, the Institute was installing seismic stations in several schools of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. The idea was to inculcate the culture of seismological data acquisition and introduce teaching of basic principles of physics and earthquake sciences, Dr Arora said.

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