Three Earthquakes Strike in 75 Minutes

Bangladesh experienced a sequence of tremors after three earthquakes struck Myanmar, India’s Mizoram and Tripura within about 75 minutes, followed by another magnitude 4.8 earthquake before dawn. The first three events occurred between 12:12am and 1:27am on Sunday, October 4. Tremors were reported in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali and several other areas, while the Tripura event was also felt in Dhaka.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the first earthquake struck the Myanmar-Bangladesh border area at 12:12am on October 4. EMSC measured the event at magnitude 4.9. Tremors were felt near the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf border and in Chattogram.

Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, however, recorded the same event at magnitude 5.0. Its official bulletin said the earthquake occurred at 12:42:47am Myanmar Standard Time, with the epicentre about 23 miles east-northeast of Mrauk-U. The depth was estimated at 10 kilometres.

India’s National Center for Seismology also recorded an earthquake in Myanmar around the same period. Its reviewed data lists the magnitude as 4.6, with a depth of 120 kilometres and the epicentre in Myanmar. The differences among agencies show that preliminary earthquake parameters can vary between monitoring networks.

About one minute after the first event, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck the Lunglei area of Mizoram, according to EMSC data cited by local media. Tremors from the earthquake were felt in Chattogram, Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali and other parts of Bangladesh.

A third earthquake struck India’s Tripura at 1:27am. India’s National Center for Seismology reviewed the event as magnitude 3.8 in Dhalai, Tripura. The agency placed the epicentre at 23.757°N and 91.995°E, with a depth of 30 kilometres. The location was about 43 kilometres northeast of Amarpur.

Mild tremors from the Tripura earthquake were also reported in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh. There were no immediate reports of major casualties or structural damage from the overnight sequence.

Several hours later, another earthquake was recorded around 4:10am on Sunday, October 4, according to information attributed to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The quake measured 4.8 and was located about 443 kilometres from Dhaka. No immediate casualties or significant damage were reported from the latest event either.

The wider region around Bangladesh regularly records low- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes because of its active tectonic setting. India’s National Center for Seismology also recorded a magnitude 3.2 earthquake in Bangladesh on October 1, with the epicentre about 46 kilometres northeast of Dhaka and a depth of 36 kilometres.

Earthquake monitoring agencies can report slightly different magnitudes, epicentre locations and depths for the same event, particularly in initial assessments. Later reviewed data from official seismic monitoring agencies generally provides the more stable reference for an event.
//DBTech/JNO/SMP/MVNO//