National Centre for Seismology

• National Centre for Seismology recently reported an earthquake of 3.9 magnitude , with its epicenter near Kishtwar in J&K.
• There were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property.

ABOUT NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SEISMOLOGY

• National Center for Seismology (NCS) is the nodal agency of the Government of India for monitoring earthquake activity in the country.
• It is an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES).
• NCS maintains the National Seismological Network of 155 stations each having state of art equipment and spreading all across the country.
• NCS monitors earthquake activity all across the country through its 24×7 around-the-clock monitoring center.
• NCS also monitors earthquake swarm and aftershock by deploying a temporary observatory close to the affected region.

FACT

• The first seismological observatory of the country was established at Alipore (Calcutta) on 1 December 1898 after the great Shillong plateau earthquake of 
• Earthquake measurement- The earthquake events are measured either according to the magnitude or intensity of the shock.
• The magnitude scale is known as the Richter scale which relates to the energy released during the quake. The magnitude is expressed in absolute numbers, 0-10.
• The intensity scale is named after Mercalli, an Italian seismologist. The intensity scale takes into account the visible damage caused by the event. The range of intensity scale is from 1-12.