NISAR satellite to map Himalayas’ seismic zones

Source: The post is based on the article “NISAR satellite to map Himalayas’ seismic zones” published in The Hindu on 15th April 2023

What is the News?

The NISAR satellite will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalayas with unprecedented regularity. 

What is the NISAR Satellite?

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What will the NISAR satellite do related to the Himalayas?

NISAR will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalayas with unprecedented regularity.

It will use two frequency bands: the L-band and S-band to image the seismically active Himalayan region that will, every 12 days, create a “deformation map”.

The data that will be generated can potentially give advance warning of land subsidence, as recently observed in Joshimath, Uttarakhand as well as point to places that are at greatest risk from earthquakes. However, what can’t be deduced however is the timing. 

Moreover, the geoscience community can also use this data to determine how strain is building up in various parts of the Himalayas.

Note: Strain refers to the deformation that occurs in rocks when it is under pressure from other rocks, usually due to movements of continental plates that are sliding, colliding, or subducting against each other. 

– The Indian Plate, for instance, collided with the Eurasian Plate forming the Himalayas and continuing to incrementally push it upwards.

How can satellites help against disasters?

In 2021, a large landslide of rock and ice triggered a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand that claimed close to 200 lives and destroyed two hydropower projects. It was satellite imagery that helped scientists decipher the cause of the flash floods.