1,883 small and big quakes hit India since 2015: Govt
More than 1,880 earthquakes of varying magnitudes, including three measuring above 7-magnitude, jolted India during the past three years until this July, Minister of Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan said in Lok Sabha today. Although these earthquakes did not have their epicenters in India, tremors were felt in several parts of the country and led to losses to property and claimed lives. Here's more.
The three major earthquakes
On April 26, 2015, a 7.9M quake struck between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and another city, Pokhara. On May 12, the second earthquake of 7.3M hit Nepal's eastern part. Nearly 9,000 people died in Nepal. The third major earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.
About the different ranges of quakes
Vardhan said the National Center for Seismology (NCS) recorded 1,739 quakes with magnitudes between 3 and 5, while 121 quakes had magnitudes between 5.1 and 6. Twenty quakes were in 6.1-7 magnitude range. Anything in the range of 3-5M is considered small earthquakes, 5-6M considered moderate, and 6-7M are considered strong, NCS Head Vineet Kumar Gahalaut said, adding anything beyond 7-8M is considered major.
