On Friday, an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred close to Dhaka, Bangladesh, causing vibrations across Kolkata and Northeast India. Around 10:10 a.m., Kolkata residents reported a slight shaking, and many of them fled into the streets as a precaution. Guwahati, Agartala, and Shillong also reported similar light earthquakes, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Earthquake
On Friday, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred close to Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the earthquakes were felt in Kolkata and several areas of Northeast India.
Why Shallow Earthquakes Feel Stronger
At 10.08 a.m., the earthquake occurred 13 kilometers south-southwest of Narsingdi, Bangladesh, at a depth of 10 kilometers. As a precaution, a number of people in Kolkata and other regions were observed going out onto the streets.
Around 10:10 am, residents of Kolkata reported experiencing mild earthquakes that lasted only a few seconds. Videos of the event started going viral on social media within minutes.
Early reports also indicated that Guwahati, Agartala, and Shillong experienced similar light earthquakes.
No damage or injuries were reported right away.
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reports that an earthquake of magnitude 3.4 struck Bangladesh in October.
Because seismic waves travel a shorter distance to the surface, shallow earthquakes like this one cause more intense shaking. Earthquakes happen about every 30 seconds worldwide, although the majority are too small to be felt.
Bangladesh is located where the Indian, Eurasian, and Burmese tectonic plates converge.
The Eurasian plate shifts north at a rate of around 2 cm per year, while the Indian plate moves northeast at a rate of about 6 cm.
The nation is located in 13 earthquake-prone zones due to the numerous major fault lines that traverse it, including the Bogura, Tripura, Dauki, and Assam faults as well as the Shillong Plateau.
Jaintiapur in Sylhet, Chattogram, and the Chattogram Hill Tracts are high-risk places.