36 tremors in NE this year

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, May 3: The Northeast was shaken by 36 tremors of light and moderate intensities in the first four months of this year, according to records with the Indian Meteorological Department.

Of these, 15 had their epicenter in Manipur and 11 in Assam. The magnitude of the quakes varied from 2.8 to 5. After the devastating Nepal quake, the region witnessed five tremors, four of which were centered in Assam. The biggest, with magnitude 4.8, was centered at Jorhat and occurred on April 30.

The biggest quake in the region this year was centered at Manipur with a magnitude of 5. The impact of this quake on February 12 was not felt much as it occurred at a depth of 90 km.

However, experts said there was nothing to worry. “Increasing frequency of quakes is in fact a good sigl as it means the energy is being released gradually and not pent up inside the earth,” said a seismologist.

He however cautioned that the region, lying in a highest seismic risk V belt, is vulnerable to big quakes and there is no correlation between the increase in seismic activity and probability of a bigger quake. “One cannot predict an earthquake,” he said, underscoring the need for proper engineering practices and an adequate mitigation strategy.

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