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On Wednesday morning, a significant seismic event shook Telangana, India, marking the region's most powerful earthquake in over five decades. The 5.3 magnitude tremor, centered near the tribal town of Medaram in Mulugu district, sent ripples across a vast area, impacting neighboring Andhra Pradesh and even parts of Maharashtra. The earthquake, occurring at a depth of 40 kilometers at 7:27 am, lasted approximately 10 seconds, causing widespread panic as residents fled their homes. While the initial reports suggest minimal structural damage, isolated incidents, such as the partial collapse of a house in Shankarajupalle village and wall damage in Khammam district, were attributed to the quake's impact. The event prompted immediate responses from local authorities, with police conducting patrols to assess the situation and report on the extent of damage. CCTV footage capturing the tremors from various locations, including Mulugu and Bhadrachalam, quickly circulated online, amplifying awareness of the earthquake's reach and impact.
The earthquake's impact extended to a radius of approximately 250 kilometers, resulting in noticeable tremors in numerous districts. In Telangana, cities such as Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Jangaon, Rangareddy, and even parts of Hyderabad experienced the shaking. Reports from Hyderabad, specifically Gachibowli, Kukatpally, Vanasthalipuram, Hayathnagar, and Abdullahpurmet, confirmed minor vibrations. In Khammam town, household items were dislodged in several homes. The seismic activity also reached Andhra Pradesh, affecting cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Jaggaiahpet, Nandigama, and Eluru, prompting fear and prompting continued monitoring by authorities for any potential aftershocks. The relatively short duration and moderate magnitude of the earthquake likely mitigated the extent of the damage, despite its wide geographical impact.
Experts from the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) and the CSIR-NGRI confirmed the earthquake's epicenter in the Medaram region, situated within the Godavari rift zone, a historically seismically active area. Prakash Kumar, director and chief seismologist at CSIR-NGRI, highlighted the significance of the event, emphasizing that it was the strongest earthquake to hit Telangana since a 5.7 magnitude quake struck Bhadrachalam in 1969. He explained that earthquakes of this magnitude typically occur with a recurrence interval of roughly half a century. While acknowledging the potential for damage to less robust structures, Kumar reassured the public that the earthquake posed no significant threat to strong installations. The relatively brief duration and moderate magnitude were key factors in limiting the overall impact of the quake, even though its tremors were felt across such a wide region, including areas as far as 250 km from the epicenter.
The Godavari rift zone, a prominent geological feature spanning parts of Telangana, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, is known for its moderate seismic activity due to ongoing tectonic processes. This area covers approximately 25,000 square kilometers and is recognized for its susceptibility to earthquakes. Interestingly, the earthquake's epicenter was located approximately 7 kilometers from a site in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary where thousands of trees collapsed during heavy rains on August 31st. This proximity raises potential questions about the relationship between geological instability and the impact of extreme weather events. The Bhookamp app, a seismic monitoring application, independently recorded the earthquake at a depth of 40 kilometers, corroborating the findings of the NCS and CSIR-NGRI. The incident underscores the ongoing seismic activity in Telangana, while simultaneously highlighting the relative infrequency of earthquakes of this magnitude in the region. A previous earthquake of 4.8 magnitude had occurred near Ramagundam in April 2020, but this latest event significantly surpasses it in terms of both intensity and geographical impact.