BENGALURU: An earthquake of 2.9 magnitude was recorded in the wee hours of Saturday in Somasettyhalli Village, part of Taidalu gram panchayat in Gauribidanur Taluk in Chikkaballapur.
According to data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the earthquake was recorded at 3.29am, and it lasted for 7.40 seconds. The earthquake was recorded at the KSNDMC control centre in Bengaluru and the seismic monitoring stations at Tippagondanahalli Dam Site and the KRS Dam Site observatories.
A KSNDMC official said, “It was a mild tremor which was caused because of the stress and strain in the rocks beneath the Earth’s surface. This is a normal occurrence. The breaking of these rocks creates minor vibrations, some of which was experienced on Sunday morning. Anything that is below the magnitude of 4 on the Richter Scale is not a major cause of concern.”
The seismic experts at the centre said the earthquakes in southern Karnataka, including Chitradurga, Doddaballapur, Gauribidanur, Chikkaballapur and surrounding areas, are on the granite rocks. While the ones in Vijayapura and in northern Karnataka, where there are calcareous rocks, are because of the fluctuations in the groundwater table.
“When the groundwater table rises, these rocks, which are a composition of calcium carbonate, absorb water and sink. This is what leads to mild tremors. This has been studied by seismologists from across India. The regions in the Himalayas and Japan are more vulnerable, as they are located on the thrust zone and the fault line, than the regions of the Deccan plateau which is the oldest rock formation,” the official said.