The Department of Geology and Mines (DGM), under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the GovTech Agency, is set to upgrade the country’s earthquake monitoring system. The department has announced that the upgrade will be completed by the end of March 2024.
This upgrade will introduce a web-based service for disseminating earthquake intensity information. The service will be publicly accessible and will allow users to report their experiences of perceived shaking.
Additionally, the agencies will procure automated, color-coded intensity distribution maps, which will display both instrumental and observed data. Earthquake source information will also be automatically shared with relevant stakeholders through SMS and email.
As part of the improvements, the DGM will begin automatically generating earthquake bulletins for distribution to stakeholders and the media, ensuring timely public information.
GovTech has already awarded the tender, and consultants are currently developing the program to meet the DGM’s requirements. The DGM has also drafted a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for earthquake information dissemination. Through the National Earthquake Monitoring Network, seismic activity will be monitored and processed by Seismic ComP 4, where the event’s estimation, location, and magnitude will be automated. This system will trigger alerts for relevant stakeholders. The automation will also identify the region of the event, including whether it occurs within Bhutan and its magnitude range.
Currently, there are 13 source monitoring stations and 223 intensity meters across the country. Events are verified by re-picking arrival times for detected earthquakes, and both instrumental and manual verification are performed before dissemination. Information about events is shared with relevant stakeholders according to the magnitude, and any post-office-hour detections are verified remotely.
On January 7, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Shigatse region of Tibet, China, triggering two avalanches from Table Mountain that cascaded onto the Bechung Glacier in Lunana. The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) and DGM reported that tremors from the earthquake were felt throughout Bhutan. The NCHM reported significant avalanche activity near Thanza village in Lunana Gewog, with the most intense impact in Gasa, where the earthquake registered a magnitude of four.
Following the earthquake, the NCHM alerted staff in Lunana to remain vigilant. The NCHM also deployed personnel to the field in Lunana and surrounding areas. No major disturbances were observed at Thorthormi, Raphstreng, or Baychung lakes, although minor sliding occurred on the inner moraine walls of the Thorthormi-Raphstreng barrier.
However, the NCHM noted that Luggye Lake remains inaccessible during the winter months. The NCHM team will continue to monitor the situation in coordination with NCHM headquarters and will conduct field visits to lake sites in the coming days.
Sangay Rabten from Thimphu