Earthquake tremors were felt in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning. The intensity of the earthquake, which occurred around 5 am in the morning and lasted 46 minutes, was recorded as 4.0 on the Richter scale.
After land loss in many parts of the state including Shimla, some people ran out of their houses in fear and started searching for safe places. According to preliminary information, there is no information about any loss of life or property due to the earthquake.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred on Wednesday morning at around 5.46 am. Its center was about 66 kilometers east-southeast of Shimla, and its open land was about 10 kilometers away. According to local citizens, the earthquake lasted for about three seconds.
In the morning, most of the people suddenly started feeling earth tremors while at home. After a few seconds of pushing, many people came out of houses and buildings. After the tremors stopped, people remained awake for some time and after the situation became normal, they fell asleep.
After the earthquake, the administration took care of the situation. According to preliminary reports, there is no information about any major damage, building collapse or any injury to anyone.
The consequences of the earthquake were not limited to Shimlapur only. Many people in Solan, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Mandi districts reported feeling slight tremors. Since the epicenter of the earthquake was in the east-south direction of Shimla, tremors were reported to be felt in the Jubbal-Kotkhai direction.
Himachal Pradesh is geographically included in earthquake sensitive states. Many parts of the state fall under Seismic Zone-4 and Zone-5, which are considered areas with high earthquake risk. Therefore, seismic movements are recorded here from time to time.
The intensity of an earthquake and its consequences depend on many factors. This includes the depth of the earthquake, location of the epicenter, local geological conditions and strength of the structure. Generally, earthquakes of low intensity are less likely to cause widespread damage; only earthquakes with shallow centers can be felt more locally.
Earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or less are called micro earthquakes and are often not felt by people. As intensity increases, the risk of vibration and potential damage may increase. Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater can sometimes cause damage to buildings and weak structures.
It is not enough to estimate the damage caused by an earthquake on the basis of intensity alone. How wide the earthquake is and how far away its epicenter is from the inhabited part is also important.