Regarding the news ‘Geologist warns of possible major Earthquake in J&K’ being circulated on social media

Predicting the exact magnitude and timing of an earthquake is impossible as experts say.
Headlines are deliberately made catchy, people should read a news article completely before coming out to any conclusions. The news appeared in Greater Kashmir newspaper today and if one reads the article completely, it gets clear that renowned geologist Prof M A Malik hasn’t said that a major earthquake is definite in the coming days. He said as J&K is prone to earthquakes, hence there is a chance of a major earthquake in J&K at any time in the future.

In the same article, Yudhbir Singh, an Assistant Professor in the Geology department, said “It is difficult to predict the exact nature, time, and place of an earthquake. The recent earthquakes are a cause of concern but there is no need to panic. We are vulnerable to earthquakes and should prepare for the reality which is very evident in the area at any time in the next 30 years.”

In a conversation with RJ Nasir Ali, Dr Bikram Singh, Professor and Head of the Earth Sciences department at Kashmir University, said, “The recent earthquakes haven’t occurred along the same fault line or location and if one is saying these small tremors may lead to a major earthquake is completely baseless.”