Uttarakhand State PCS

• 29 May 2024

Earthquake in Uttarakhand

Why in News?

According to the National Center for Seismology, an earthquake of 3.1 magnitude struck Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district recently with the epicentre around 5 km beneath the earth’s surface.

• The National Center for Seismology is the nodal agency of the Centre under the Earth Sciences ministry to monitor earthquake activity in the country.

Key Points

• Uttarakhand experiences high seismic activity, with most areas falling under Seismic Zones IV and V.
  • The Himalayas are the youngest mountain range in the world, approximately 50 million years old. This range rises at a rate of around 5 mm per year as the Indian tectonic plate folds beneath the Tibetan plate.