What happened: NCS expanded India’s seismological coverage and lowered detection thresholds

The National Center for Seismology (NCS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences expanded the National Seismological Network to improve continuous real-time earthquake monitoring across India. The network expansion increased the number of active observatories and improved detection sensitivity, including a lower earthquake detection threshold for specific high-demand regions.

Key reported numbers from the announcement

The PIB-communicated details of the expanded network and detection thresholds are:

• National Seismological Network observatories: increased from 86 observatories (2014) to 174 active observatories across the country.

• Placement in high-hazard regions: 89 observatories are placed strategically within high-risk Seismic Zones IV and V.