COLOMBO – A moderate earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale struck the waters off Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast on Thursday (18) afternoon, with authorities quickly assuring the public that no tsunami warning has been issued.
The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) reported that the earthquake occurred at 4:06 p.m. local time, approximately 60 kilometres northeast of Trincomalee in the Bay of Bengal waters.
According to a bulletin issued by the GSMB’s Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake was successfully recorded at all four seismic monitoring stations across the island nation. The stations, located in Mahakanadarawa, Hakmana, Pallekele, and Buddangala, provide comprehensive coverage of seismic activity affecting Sri Lanka. Thursday’s recording indicate the earthquake was significant enough to generate measurable seismic waves throughout the country, though no ground shaking was reported by residents in coastal areas.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said there was ‘NO’ tsunami risk from the earthquake and ‘NO’ tsunami warning has been issued for the coastline.
While earthquakes of this magnitude are considered minor to moderate on the Richter scale, seismic monitoring remains crucial for Sri Lanka due to its location in the Indian Ocean region, which has experienced significant seismic activity in the past.
The 3.9 magnitude reading places this event in the category that is typically felt by many people but rarely causes damage. Such earthquakes can cause buildings to shake slightly but generally do not result in structural damage or injury.
-ENCL
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