Tremors felt in AP and Telangana after three microquakes

Tremors were felt in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Sunday. Pulichintala in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district and parts of Suryapet district in Telangana recorded three earthquakes between 7.15 am and 8.20 am on Sunday, August 8. According to seismologists at National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), their intensity on the Richter Scale was recorded at 3.0, 2.7 and 2.3.

The tremors were felt in Chintalapalem and Mellacheruvu mandals of Suryapet district of Telangana. No loss of life or property was reported from any area. However, the tremors sent panic in some villages, and people ran out of their houses.

Pulichintala area on the banks of river Krishna that divides Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has been experiencing mild tremors for the last one week. On July 26, an earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter Scale, had rocked parts of the two Telugu states. The epicentre of the earthquake was in Andhra Pradesh, 156 kilometers south of Hyderabad.

A 4.6 magnitude quake struck the region on January 26 last year. Since then, the region had been witnessing hectic seismic activity. Till June last year, over 900 micro earthquakes were recorded. The epicenter of these microquakes was 5 km downstream of Pulichintala dam.

Microquake is a very low intensity earthquake which is 2.0 or less in magnitude. These micro earthquakes are called tectonic earthquakes. Often minor earthquakes after heavy rainfall are common. Hydroseismicity is a condition in which rainfall variation can trigger earthquakes. Hyderabad and several parts of Telangana have been receiving copious rain during the last few days. Hyderabad falls under seismic zone II, which is generally not prone to earthquakes.

A similar earthquake was reported in Telangana in 2017 too. On November 15, 2017, mild tremors were felt in Jubilee Hills and the surrounding areas in Hyderabad. The tremors were experienced in Jubilee Hills, KBR Park, parts of Banjara Hills, Rahmat Nagar and Borabanda around 8:50 am. Scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) had said the tremors were caused by an increase in groundwater. The magnitude recorded back then was only 0.5 on the Richter scale.

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