Tsunami Zones of India, Causes and Subduction Zone

Context: As per the latest report of INCOIS, all Indian coastal Union Territories and states are prone to tsunamis.

What is a Tsunami?

A tsunami is a series of large sea waves caused by the sudden displacement of a large volume of water in an ocean.

Causes of Tsunamis

• Undersea Earthquakes (most common cause)-Especially those occurring at subduction zones.
• Underwater landslides
• Volcanic eruptions (submarine volcanoes)
• Meteorite impacts (very rare).

Subduction Zone

• It is a tectonic boundary where one plate slides beneath another into the Earth’s mantle.
• Subduction zones are highly active geologically – leading to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

Key Subduction Zones Affecting India

• Andaman-Nicobar-Sumatra Island Arc: It is a 5,000 km long chain of islands and mountains from Myanmar in the north to the Indonesian archipelago in the south.
• Makran Subduction Zone (near Iran-Pakistan): It is a tectonic plate boundary where the Arabian Sea Plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate.

Tsunami Risk Classification in India (as per Geological & Oceanographic Studies)

Tsunami Monitoring and Preparedness in India

• Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) provides real-time tsunami alerts.
• Early Warning Systems were established after 2004.
• Community Awareness & Evacuation Drills are regularly conducted in vulnerable coastal regions.
• Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZs) aim to prevent construction in high-risk areas.

Sharing is caring!