deformations in some sedimentary layers of the upper Shivaliks provide information on earth movements and can help predict earthquakes. These deformations occurs when the sedimentary rock is in the process of formation and is soft, explains Ravindra Kumar of Punjab University's geology department who was part of the research team, along with scientists of iit, Roorkee.

The sedimentary layers above or below the layer will show no deformation if there have been no quakes during the period of their respective formations. Thus by calculating the age of the deformed layer, one can time the occurrence of past earthquakes, the scientists posit in a paper that was published in the October 25 issue of the journal Current Science. Kumar, however, cautions that the method of predicting earthquakes "is still speculative.'

The 2,000 km long Shivaliks were formed after the Indian subcontinent crashed into Eurasia 50 million years ago. In the past century, four major earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 on the Richter scale have struck the Himalayan region