Kashmir Valley megaearthquakes: Estimates of the magnitudes of past seismic events foretell a very shaky future for this pastoral valley

Abstract

Kashmir, lying at collision line between the continents of India and Asia, is one of the most seismically active regions on Earth. Compared to San Francisco, for example, which saw a mere 4 meters of displacement in its historic 1906 quake, Kashmir has seen numerous temblors with more than 20 meters of displacement. The authors review the locations, magnitudes and destructiveness of Kashmiri earthquakes over the past 500 years and conclude that another big one is on the way. The only questions are exactly when and where.

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