During the early hours of Thursday, earthquake tremors were felt in Manipur’s Imphal.
About the earthquake:
The magnitude of the quake was measured at 4.0 on the Richter Scale. According to the reports of the National Center for Seismology, the jolt was felt at 2:17 am on January 13, due to the tremors of the quake. Nevertheless, so far there has been no report of any loss of life or property due to this.
In 2021:
It has also been seen that the last quake that was felt in Manipur was on November 9, 2021. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) informed that its intensity was measured at 3.8 on the Richter scale. At the same time, a day before this i.e. on November 8, strong tremors of quake were felt in Ukhrul, Manipur. Its intensity was measured at 4.4 on the Richter scale. The quake occurred 56 km east-southeast of Usrul at 7.48 am.
National Center for Seismology on Twitter:
The official account of National Center for Seismology took the incident to Twitter where it wrote, “Earthquake of Magnitude:4.0, Occurred on 13-01-2022, 02:17:02 IST, Lat: 25.19 & Long: 93.88, Depth: 35 Km ,Location: 41 km N of Imphal, Manipur.”
In Assam:
Last year, on April 28, a quake of 6.4 magnitude hit Assam which consequently led to sufficient damage to buildings and property but fortunately, no fatalities were reported. The northeastern region has a peculiar record of experiencing quakes at regular intervals due to its unique geographical location. The state of Assam itself witnessed two great earthquakes (Magnitude >8) in 1897 and 1950.
How does a quake occur?
- Firstly, a quake occurs when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
- Secondly, the release of energy occurs along a fault. A fault is a sharp break in the crustal rocks.
- Thirdly, rocks along a fault tend to move in opposite directions. As the overlying rock strata press them, the friction locks them together. However, their tendency to move apart at some point in time overcomes the friction.
- Fourthly, as a result, the blocks get deformed, and eventually, they slide past one another abruptly. This causes a release of energy, and the energy waves travel in all directions.
