Study Reveals Ancient Earthquake Drastically Altered Ganges River Course

New research suggests a significant seismic event 2,500 years ago caused a major avulsion in the Ganges, raising concerns about future risks.

The earthquake-induced avulsion shifted the river's main channel by approximately 100 kilometers.
This finding highlights the potential for future seismic activity to impact densely populated regions in Bangladesh.
Previous assumptions doubted that earthquakes could drive such large-scale river course changes in deltas.
Researchers identified telltale signs of the ancient quake, including seismites and sand veins in excavated mud layers.
Modern stress accumulation in regional fault lines suggests similar events could occur, affecting up to 140 million people.