Risk of earthquakes in Sri Lanka

Earth quake Engineering

Generally, earthquakes are experienced near geo-plate boundaries but there is a possibility of earthquakes occurring away from plate boundaries. Sri Lanka is situated in Indo-Australian plate and away from its boundaries. Although Earthquakes are not a norm in Sri Lanka, it should be considered in terms of geohazards. Although Sri Lanka is located well away from the tectonic plate boundaries and has been considered an aseismic country in the past, intraplate activities may lead Sri Lanka as an earthquake-prone area. This study focuses on reviewing previous research findings to gain a broad understanding of the possibility of earthquakes and this can be considered as desk research to find the risk of earthquakes in Sri Lanka. Geological, Geophysical and Oceanographic researchers have revealed very interesting information regarding the Indo Australian tectonic plate which leads to the new plate tectonic scenario of Sri Lanka. Geological weak zones also make Sri Lanka more vulnerable to earthquakes. Not only earthquakes but also Tsunami should be considered because the seismic activity in the Indian Ocean may lead to a tsunami and it would be a huge disaster in Sri Lanka as we had experienced in 2004. The geological phenomena occurring in the Indian Ocean and the weak geological structure of Sri Lanka provide a challenge to the geoscientists and further researches are needed to understand the vulnerability of Sri Lanka to future hazards.

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