E-Paper
Lucknow, other parts of UP feel tremors as 6.6-magnitude quake hits Nepal
Even if an earthquake hits Lucknow, the alluvium sediments of Ganga plain act as a shock absorber that reduces the impact of the quake,says LU professor
LUCKNOW Strong tremors were felt in Lucknow and other parts of UP at 1:57am on Wednesday after an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck Nepal, prompting many to rush out of their houses in the middle of the night.
The earthquake lasted for a few seconds. So far, there was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property.
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the epicentre of the quake that struck at 1.57am on Wednesday was located near Dipayal Silgadhi in Doti district of western Nepal -- about 90 km east-southeast of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
“I felt as if someone was shaking the bed. I also saw the ceiling fan shaking. My son, who was doing his school project, felt the tremors while sitting on the sofa,” said Deepak Agarwal, a resident of Maqboolganj area. Several users took to social media platforms after the tremors were felt in the state capital.
“My bed was rocking and everyone in the family felt the tremors,” said Koustav, an engineer. “While sleeping, I felt my bed was shaking and then I woke up,” said Vineet Gupta, a businessman.
Last time, tremors were felt in Lucknow and some other parts of Uttar Pradesh on August 20 this year on Janmashtami, after an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 hit the Indo-Nepal border.
Prof Dhruv Sen Singh of Lucknow University’s geology department said, “Lucknow comes under earthquake zone three. It can only be moderately affected by a quake because all factors responsible for its origin such as fold, fault and other tectonic activities are less active in the Ganga plain and their surface manifestation anywhere in Lucknow and in other places of Ganga plain is absent.”
“In the Ganga plain, there are some faults and ridges but they are inactive. Even if an earthquake takes place in Lucknow, the alluvium sediments of Ganga plain act as a shock absorber that reduces the impact of the earthquake,” he explained.
Weather scientist at Meerut’s Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University, associate prof UP Sahi said the region is in 4th zone of seismic zones, therefore, it experiences tremors frequently.
Tremors were also felt in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida and Muzaffarnagar but these had no visible impact. Most of the people came to know about it in the morning through news or social media.
In Kanpur, people came out of high-rise buildings for safety, and a number of them even brought their pets out in the open.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of about 2.0 or less are usually called micro-earthquakes. They are not commonly felt by people. Earthquakes between 3.0 and 3.9 magnitude are termed ‘minor’ and do not have the intensity to cause any damage. Shocks in the range of 4.0 to 4.9 are called ‘light earthquakes’ whereas those between 5 and 6 magnitudes can cause moderate damage in populated areas. Earthquakes above 7 cause severe destruction and loss of life over large areas, said Singh.
