Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The jerk of the killer earthquake that shook Nepal, Tibet, and China this morning was also felt in Assam for a few seconds. Significantly, the epicentre of the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter Scale was barely 525 km away from Guwahati.
What is even more significant is that Assam witnessed six earthquakes in October and 12 in November 2024. These were the highest numbers of earthquakes in Indian states at that time. Assam lies in seismic zone V.
According to the preliminary report of the National Centre for Seismology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, “An earthquake of magnitude M 7.1 struck at 06:35:18 IST in Xizang, Shigatse, China, with its epicentre located at 28.860 N and 87.510 E and a focal depth of 10 km. The epicentre was approximately 100 km northeast of Lobuche, Nepal; 175 km northwest of Gangtok, Sikkim; 430 km northeast of Patna, Bihar; 525 km northwest of Guwahati; and 380 km from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Following the main shock, sixteen aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 3.8 to 5.0 have been recorded till 13:00 IST. The epicentre of the earthquakes lies close to the ITSZ (Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone), situated along the Indian-Eurasian plate boundary. Preliminary fault plane analyses suggest that the earthquakes were caused by normal faulting at shallow depths. The fault plane solution indicates that the rupture occurred along a plane orientated approximately in the North-South direction. This observation is strongly supported by the distribution of aftershocks, which aligns well with the inferred fault geometry.”
The report further said, “The earthquake was widely felt across several states in eastern and northeastern India, including Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, and West Bengal, as well as neighbouring regions. Within two hours of the event, more than 12 felt reports were submitted by residents from these states through the official website and mobile application.”
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