The ground beneath the feet of the people in Jammu and Kashmir is moving. This has been noticed by geo-scientists during a year long study of movement of earth plated through global positioning system (GPS) stations set up in Central Kashmir as part of a project sponsored by Department of the Earth Science. The study reveals that the plate is moving at the rate of few millimetres annually which has led to thousands of tremors that shook the region during the past several years. Noted geoscientist and former head of Geography Department at Kashmir University,M I Bhat,said that the first GPS station in Central Kashmir was set up in November 2007. This was followed by two more stations one in Rajouri in November 2008 and another in Uri in North Kashmir a few weeks ago. However,to keep a watch on more areas of the state to study relative movement of crust,two more GPS stations are being set up one in South Kashmir and another across the Pir Panjal in Jammu,he said,adding that the crust move at different rates in different regions leading to different crustal deformations and different stress levels. After collecting data from Jammu,we can have some idea about the extent of the relative movement in the state,he added. The study will help them to know the overall picture about the movement of the crust along the various fault lines in the Himalayan state and help them in getting an idea about the accumulating seismic stress and probability of the earthquakes in the region. About the data collected from already set up GPS stations,Bhat said that last one year,the crust in central Kashmir has moved by many millimetres. This means the crust is deforming and putting stress along the fault lines. This can be the major cause for the tremors that rock the region,he added. Asked what its effect can be,he said that when this adds up over the years can trigger bigger earthquakes. He pointed out that four GPS equipments will also be used in campaign mode,which means that they will be set up at particular sites for a particular time and then after some months,they will be again set at the same sites,to know the extent of the relative crustal movement during that time period. Another noted geologist and Head of Geology Department in Jammu University,Prof M A Malik,said that apart from the GPS data,various studies and satellite data after 2005 earthquake have revealed that the whole region has become a little unstable. This is evident from new cracks,soil deformations and landslides in the mountainous region,he pointed out,adding that prior to 2005,there is no record of historical earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 for more than 450 years in western Kashmir and northern Pakistan.
