The earth started shaking at midnight in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Telangana. Earthquake tremors were felt here. The earthquake was felt around 2.26 am on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Its intensity on the Richter scale was 3.8 magnitude. Earthquakes of this intensity do not cause any major damage and in this incident also there was no significant damage. Since it was late at night, most of the people were sleeping and they did not even notice the earthquake. However, if the intensity was more than 6, it could have caused huge damage.
According to the National Center for Seismology, an earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale was recorded in Telangana’s Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The earthquake’s tremors were felt around 2:26 pm. The depth of the earthquake epicenter was only 10 kilometers. There is no news of any loss of life or damage to property so far. Local people felt mild tremors, but it was so weak that there was no impact on a large scale.
What intensity of earthquakes cause devastation?
The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter scale or the modern moment magnitude scale. This is a logarithmic scale. For every 1 point increase, the strength of vibration increases by 10 times and energy by approximately 31-32 times. An earthquake of 3.8 magnitude falls in the safe category. Most people can feel it, but the chances of buildings collapsing or causing major damage are negligible.
Less than 3.0: Very mild, mostly not felt.
3.0–3.9: Mild — often felt, but little or no damage.
4.0–4.9: Mild to moderate — Some weak buildings may develop cracks.
5.0–5.9: Moderate — minor damage to good buildings, significant damage to weak buildings.
6.0–6.9: Strong — damage over large area, impact up to hundreds of kilometers.
7.0–7.9: Major earthquake—severe damage, thousands of deaths may occur.
8.0 or greater: Very large earthquake — devastation, millions affected, tsunami threat.
Why do earthquakes occur?
The Earth’s upper layer is divided into several tectonic plates. These plates keep rotating at a speed of a few centimeters every year. When these plates collide, rub, or move apart, tension accumulates between them. When this tension becomes too much, the plates suddenly slip. The energy released by this slip comes out in the form of seismic waves, which we feel as earthquakes. India is mainly on the Indian Plate, which is colliding with the Eurasian Plate. For this reason the Himalayas are being formed. In a region like Telangana, earthquakes are rare, but sometimes small tremors can occur.
Also read-
Blood shed between two groups for water, Dehradun on high alert, young man was surrounded and brutally beaten to death
Himachal Pradesh: Long queues of vehicles on the roads in Kullu-Manali, will change travel plans after watching VIDEO
SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
