Bengaluru: About 13 tremors in the last two months in Vijaypur district in northern parts of Karnataka has created panic among the people, despite assurance from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Center.
The latest one was felt on Tuesday morning measuring 2.9 on Richter scale, which occurred at 7.49 am, with its epicentre located about 3.6 kilometers northwest of Bhutnal Tanda in Vijayapur taluk.
The officials said that the seismic event was minor and caused no damage, with the earthquake originating at a shallow depth of five kilometers beneath the surface. According to the centre's analysis, the epicentre was situated 4.3 km west-southwest of Inganal village, 4.6 kms northeast of Hanchinal village, 9.3 km north-northeast of Vijayapur city and 65 km north of the Almatti Dam seismic observatory. The KSNDMC clarified that the intensity observed is low and the tremor might be felt up to a radial distance of 50-60 km from the epicentre.
While urging the people to stay calm, the KSNDMC noted that the region falls under Seismic Zone III, and the tectonic map indicates the area is devoid of any major structural discontinuities. The note from KSNDMC added that such an earthquake would not create any harm to the local community as the intensity observed was low, though there might be local vibrations felt.
Earlier, following a series of quakes in 2021, the experts from the National Centre for Seismology, National Institute of Rock Mechanics, Geological Survey of India and KSNDMC visited Vijayapur. Seismometers have now been reinstalled across the affected areas to monitor ground activity more precisely.
Yet, with tremors continuing to strike at irregular intervals, fear and uncertainty remain deeply rooted among Vijayapur residents, who are again sleeping under open skies, dreading the next quake.
