Nashik: Mild Tremors Felt Again In Surgana, Peth; Seismometers Operational At Four Locations

Nashik: Mild earthquake tremors were felt in the Surgana and Peth talukas of the district on Friday and Saturday. The focal depths of the tremors were measured at 6 km and 5 km, respectively. As Nashik district falls under Seismic Zone III, round-the-clock monitoring is in place. Ground movements are being tracked through seismometers installed at four locations.

On Friday night, at around 8:30 pm, a mild tremor measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale was felt in Bival village in Surgana taluka. The tremor occurred at a depth of 6 km. On Saturday (October 3) at 3:54 pm, a mild tremor measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale was felt in the Kotambi Ghat area of Peth taluka. No damage was reported due to these tremors.

Series Of Tremors In July-August Too

A series of earthquakes had previously been recorded in Nashik district during July and August. Heightened vigilance is being maintained against this backdrop. Due to the formation of an underground fault line spanning approximately 30 km across the eastern and western parts of the city, 64 mild earthquakes ranging from 1.6 to 4.3 on the Richter scale were recorded between July and August.

Senior scientists from seismology centres who visited Nashik had stated that there was no cause for major concern, as this is a natural process for the safe release of accumulated underground pressure.

New Systems In Surgana, Haranbari And Malegaon

The seismometer system operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system is highly sensitive and accurately records even minute ground movements or acoustic vibrations. Previously, a seismometer system had been installed at the MERI Institute in Nashik city.

Three new centres have now been made operational by installing new equipment at the Haranbari school in Baglan taluka, as well as at the Surgana and Malegaon tehsil offices.

The 4.3-magnitude tremor felt in both rural and urban areas at 10 pm on August 8 was the strongest in this series. A sense of fear had gripped residents as mild tremors were felt successively across Surgana, Peth, Dindori and Kalwan talukas.

Although these tremors were mild, they were felt intensely because their epicentre was located at a shallow depth of just 5 km underground.