Tusom incident : Not mudslide, not landslide, but mud volcano
Tectonic faulting sinks hill range
Source: The Sangai Express
Tusom (Indo-Myanmar Border), October 22 2013:
A hill range at Tusom Christian village located under Jessami sub-division of Ukhrul district at the intersection of Myanmar (tectonic) plate and Indian plate has sunk following tectonic faulting of the two plates and the phenomenon is akin to mud volcano, experts have said.
Tusom village is located about 121 Kms away from Ukhrul district headquarters near the Indo-Myanmar border pillar number 129 .
The village has around 250 households.
One hill range located near the village has sunk completely together with the road which connects Tusom village with Somra village across the international border as a result of tectonic faulting in the night of October 11 .
On receiving reports about a volcano like eruption in the village, a team of Imphal based reporters headed for the village on October 20 .
After going for about 2 Kms from Tusom towards the international border, the journalists saw a large depression apparently formed by a sinking hill range.
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A small current of water was also seen flowing in the sunken zone.
With the only road which connect Tusom with Somra sunk together with the hill range, the two villagers now remain cut off.
Nonetheless, some people have been using Chinese motorcycles to visit each other but they have to draw the motorcycles manually on different sections of routes which have become practically unmotorable.
According to Tusom village headman Miksha Zimik, there was some rainfall before the hill range broke down and sunk but there was no tremor or earthquake.
Villagers did not see any kind of smoke nor did they sense any unusual smell when the hill range broke down.
Yet, all the villagers were astonished on seeing what was happening in the village.
Saying that the road which connect Tusom with Somra was a crucial link for the villagers, the village headman said that Somra villagers used to come to the India side to purchase essential commodities like common salt, rice, sugar etc.
Again, people of Tusom Khullen, New Tusom and Tusom Christian village used to cross the international border to purchase pigs, chickens, buffaloes etc from Somra.
Miksha Zimik said that one common health problems of people living in the border areas is presence of stones inside vital organs.
On showing photographs taken at the village and adjoining areas, Prof S Ibotombi of Earth Science Department, Manipur University opined that the hill range got sunk because of tectonic plate movement or tectonic faulting.
Rocks found in Tusom and surrounding border areas are of ophiolite type.
This rock type were once found under ocean bed before they were uplifted to form hill ranges due to tectonic plate movements.
The area where Tusom village is located and its adjoining areas constitute a zone, tectonically very active.
Percolation of rain water builds up static pressure on these rocks which ultimately led to eruption in the form of mud volcano.
Such eruptions are often accompanied by effusion of gas and water.
What happened at the village was not landslide, said Prof Ibotombi.
The area is tectonically very active for it is located at the intersection of Myan-marese plate and Indian plate.
It is risky to build RCC house in these areas.
Wooden hou-ses are much safer.
Due care should be taken while constructing RCC buildings in Manipur valley too, added Prof Ibotombi.
Incidentally, Tusom and Somra have been already identified by the Government of India and Government of Myanmar respectively for development of border haats or weekly markets.