On Tuesday, several parts of Northeast India were jolted early in the morning as an earthquake of moderate intensity hit the region. The earthquake measured 5.0 on the Richter scale and hit the region at around 7:40 am in the morning.
The epicenter was in Karimganj district of Assam which also borders Bangladesh. Northeast India which consists of seven states also known as the seven sisters including Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura happens to be one of the most earthquake prone areas of the world. In fact, it lies on the sixth position.
Moderate intensity earthquakes do not cause intensive damage to life and property. However, it depends on the location. If the epicenter is a highly populated area, weak structures may suffer some damage in the form of cracks.
In the past, some of the most hazardous earthquakes have taken place in Northeast India. In fact, in the year 1897, a strong earthquake of magnitude 8.2 had hit Shillong. Not only this, another earthquake in the year 1950 of magnitude 8.7 had hit Assam causing innumerable damage which included the Brahmaputra river changing its course. In September 2011, an earthquake had hit Sikkim which had caused heavy damage to the residents of the state.
Image Credit: hindu.com
