Ladakh tectonically active: Study

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26

Fresh findings of a study by geologists have found the fault lines in Ladakh to be tectonically active, which is contrary to the earlier understanding that it is a locked zone. This has major implications for earthquake studies, prediction and understanding the seismic structure of the mountain chains well as its evolution.

Detailed mapping of geological features of the suture zone of the Himalayas or the Indus Suture Zone in the Ladakh region, where Indian and Asian plates are joined, was carried out by scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.

They observed that sedimentary beds are tilted with broken thrusts, the rivers are associated with uplifted terraces and the bedrock shows brittle deformation that occurred at much shallower depths.