Earthquakes of up to a magnitude of 3.3 occurred about 70 km north-northeast of Bengaluru on the morning of Wednesday, December 22, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. "Earthquake of Magnitude: 3.1, Occurred on 22-12-2021, 07:09:36 IST, Lat: 13.59 & Long: 77.73, Depth: 11 Km, Location: 70km NNE of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (sic)," the NCS tweeted. "Earthquake of Magnitude:3.3, Occurred on 22-12-2021, 07:14:32 IST, Lat: 13.55 & Long: 77.76, Depth: 23 Km, Location: 66km NNE of Bengaluru, Karnataka (sic)," it added.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) in a press release said that it recorded two earthquakes of magnitudes 2.9 and 3.0 in Chikkaballapura district. The first one was recorded 1.4 km south-southeast of Mandikal gram panchayat in Chikkaballapura taluk, close to the villages of Hosahalli and Doddihalli, while the second one was recorded near Bhogaparthi village. The KSNDMC said that the effects of the second earthquake may have also been felt in Bandahalli village and parts of Aroor gram panchayat.

“As per the seismic intensity map of the said earthquakes from the epicentre, the intensities observed are low and the tremors might be felt up to a maximum radial distance of 10-15 kms. These types of earthquakes do not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally. The community need not panic as the intensity observed is low and not destructive,” the KSNDMC release added. The release was signed by Manoj Ranjan, Director, KSNDMC.

In October this year, Karnataka’s Vijayapura district observed six minor earthquakes in one month. Similar incidents were also reported in Hassan and Kalaburagi district as well. Owing to the high occurrence of these events in and around Vijayapura district, the state government had earlier mulled the constitution of a sub-committee for an in-depth study.

With PTI inputs