They say that geodetic levelling observations in the region also suggest the possibility of great earthquakes to release the recoverable elastic strain stored in the upper crust of the outer Himalayas in this part of the Himalayas.
According to the NGRI team, the Tehri dam was initially designed to withstand ground acceleration expected from the maximum credible earthquake of magnitude 7.2, whereas the ground acceleration would be twice this if an earthquake like the 1905 Kangra temblor strikes again.
The scientists have also studied the seismicity around the dam in relation to reservoir filing. They observed an increase in seismicity from December 2005 onwards, after its first filling in October 2005.
