Kopili fault Zone:

● The Kopili fault zone is a 300-km northwest-southeast trending fault extending from the western part of Manipur up to the tri-junction of Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. 

● The zone is a seismically active area falling in the highest Seismic Hazard Zone V.  

● The zone is associated with collisional tectonics because of the Indian Plate subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate.  

● The fault zone and its neighbouring areas are characterised by alluvial soils.These alluvial soil have a higher potential of trapping seismic waves making the region the most earthquake prone zone in North East India. 

● The Kopili fault zone has witnessed many seismic activities in the past including the 1869 earthquake (7.8 magnitude) and the 1943 earthquake (7.3 magnitude).  

 

Why in News? The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) has said that the Earthquake in Assam can be attributed to the Kopili Fault Zone.