STAFF REPORT ISB: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has 20 stations besides 15 centres of neighbouring countries to accurately calculate the intensity of earthquakes.
“The United States Geological Survey has only seven stations in this area, while Meteorological Office gets reports from 35 station, including its own and neighbouring countries centres, and calculate average on their readings,” said Met Office Director General Dr. Ghulam Rasool.
He informed that Pakistan falls in the South Asian region which has three big mountain ranges and seismic zone fault lines lie at their junction. He informed that in north there is a Eurasian plate which is still but in South there is an Indian plate which is moving making the zone more prone to receive earthquakes.The director general said that after October 26 earthquake with the magnitude of 8.1, almost 800 aftershocks have been received so far, adding that among this 150 shocks were above the intensity of 4 magnitude while the others were minor. He further informed that after the massive earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on October 8, 2005 almost 3,500 small and big aftershocks were registered for several months. He informed that more earthquakes received in the Hindukash Region and 80 per cent of earthquakes hit Pak-Afghan and Afghanistan-Tajikistan borders. The director general said that in last five years a rapid surge has been recorded in earthquake jolts as 543 were received in 2011, 754 in 2012, 675 in 2013, 771 in 2014 and 851 in 2015.