Mild tremors were felt in Jubilee Hills and surrounding areas in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The tremors were experienced in Jubilee Hills, KBR Park, parts of Banjara Hills, Rahmat Nagar and Borabanda around 8:50 am.
However, scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) said that there was nothing to worry about as these were ultra-micro tremors caused by an increase in groundwater. The magnitude was 0.5 on the Richter scale.
Tremors are not new to these parts of Hyderabad. Last month, Borabanda had experienced as many as 16 micro-tremors in a span of 13 hours. Two seismographic stations of NGRI had recorded these micro-tremors.
NGRI Seismology Director, Dr Srinagesh Davuluri, had told TNM earlier that these micro earthquakes are shallow and produce a hollow sound, while being accompanied by shaking of the ground.
The senior scientist said, “The energy released during this seismic activity is negligible, and the magnitude is ‘very small’.”
Seismologists attributed these to hydroseismicity, a condition when rainfall variation can trigger earthquakes. The city received copious rain during the monsoon and this led a rise in the groundwater level.
Additionally, Hyderabad falls under seismic zone II, which is generally not prone to earthquakes.
Following the October 21-22 tremors, the NGRI had installed two more seismographs in the area. The experts had said that the micro-earthquakes may be experienced for a few weeks but they will be less than 2.0 in magnitude.
Jubilee Hills and its surrounding areas had also recorded tremors in 1998 and 2000.
In 2000, it was reported that the tremors were recorded along the route of a sub-surface tensile fracture that began at the Banjara Lake, passed through Chiran Palace and Journalists' Colony, and ended near Durgam Cheruvu.
Though the magnitude was 2.5 on the Richter scale, no damage to property had been reported.
IANS inputs