Hyderabad: An earthquake of magnitude 2.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Vikarabad District of Telangana State on Monday, as reported by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).
According to the NCS, tremors were felt at 13:34:02 Indian Standard Time (IST), and the depth of the quake was recorded at 5 km.
Is Telangana prone to earthquakes?
India is divided into four seismic zones: Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV, and Zone V. Among these zones, areas under Zone V are more prone to earthquakes, whereas Zone II is the least susceptible.
As most parts of Telangana fall under Zone II, the state is less prone to earthquakes. However, some eastern parts of the state also come under Zone III.
In India, states that are more prone to earthquakes include Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the North Eastern states, as parts of them fall under Zone V.
Richter scale to measure earthquake magnitude
Earthquakes occur due to the shaking of the earth’s surface, resulting in the sudden release of energy in the lithosphere, creating seismic waves. The intensity of earthquakes varies, and many go unnoticed if the magnitude is too small.
As yesterday’s earthquake in Telangana had a magnitude of 2.5, which is less than 3, it is considered minor and went unnoticed.
Apart from Telangana, earthquakes were also witnessed yesterday in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Andaman and Nicobar. Except for the one witnessed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the earthquakes were minor.
In the islands, the magnitude of the quake was 4.4, witnessed at 4:13:17 IST, with a depth of 67 km.
