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New research shows the earthquake that  struck central Nepal  in April this year was only a partial rupture of a regional fault line, meaning another strong quake could be due in future. The study, published today in  Nature Geoscience , suggests the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that killed more than 9000 people released, or “unzipped”, stress on only a portion of the  Main Himalayan Thrust fault , leaving the western portion of the line at risk of a large earthquake in the future. The research team, led by Jean-Phillipe Avouac from the University of Cambridge in the UK, analysed the April 15 event using  synthetic aperture radar  imagery along with seismological measurements to show the location, geometry and nature of the fault patch that ruptured during the Nepal earthquake. “The earthquake originated northwest of Kathmandu within a cluster of background seismicity that fringes the bottom of the locked portion of the Main Himalayan Thrust fault,” the...

“It is imperative to assess sea level rise, storm surge and cyclones” A devastated Vishakapatnam has brought home the need for coastal cities to be climate resilient in terms of extreme events with respect to preparation and infrastructure. Recent studies indicate that there is a long way to go in achieving this. Both the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 and the Environment Ministry had said there would be a high likelihood of increase in the intensity of cyclonic events on the east coast of India. A working paper on Planning Climate Resilient Coastal Cities — Learning from Panaji and Visakhapatnam by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), released last week, says that it is highly pertinent to start climate proofing infrastructure and services, given the climate sensitive nature of the existing infrastructure systems in the cities. The study says it is imperative to assess sea level rise combined with other factors like storm surge and cyclones and...

Year 2014 has witnessed a series of floods, droughts and an unusual spell of hailstorms in a few states. A look at the damage and displacement caused by them   Phailin ravaged over 300,000 houses in coastal Odisha Since October 2013, when Phailin hit Odisha’s coast and left a trail of destruction, India has witnessed a series of extreme weather events like cyclonic storms, cloudburst, floods, droughts and hailstorms. Though cyclone Phailin did not claim many lives, it left behind a trail of destruction that severely crippled people’s livelihood. The storm was followed by Lehar, a cyclonic storm initially predicted to be a very severe storm and later transformed into a deep depression. Year 2014 began with the occurrence of polar vortex, a phenomenon that brought unusual chill to North America and Europe. The weather event did not leave India untouched. The country experienced hailstorms because of the unusual movement of cold westerly winds th...