Guwahati: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter Scale hit the northeastern region at 8.19 pm on Monday. The earthquake occurred 16 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface with the epicenter located 49 kilometers Southeast of Meghalaya's Cherrapunjee. "Earthquake of Magnitude:5.4, Occurred on 14-08-2023, 20:19:47 IST, Lat: 25.02 & Long: 92.13, Depth: 16 Km, Location: 49km SE of Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya" the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.



The quake lasted for as long as 10 seconds with the people of the region, including Assam’s Guwahati, running out of their homes to safety.


The jolt was so strong that the people were scared of going back to their houses for about 30 minutes.  


However, there have been no reports of any casualty or damage to property due to the tremor till the filing of this report.


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Between January and March 14 this year, the Northeastern states experienced at least 30 minor and light tremors. The frequent earthquakes had rocked the region in over two months alone.


According to seismologists, the Northeast falls in the seismic V zone and is surrounded by active thrust zones and subduction zones in the North and Eastern part. Apart from that, there are also many active fault lines scattered within the Northeastern region which leads to the area being seismically active.


In the past, the region had experienced major earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above. The region has experienced several devastating earthquakes which also changed the topography of the region.


The earthquake of 1897 occurred at 11:06 am Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in Assam on 12 June 1897 had an estimated moment magnitude of 8.2-8.3. 


It resulted in approximately 1,542 human casualties and caused catastrophic damage to infrastructures.


Damage from the earthquake extended into Calcutta, where dozens of buildings were severely damaged, with some buildings partially collapsing. Trembles were felt across India, reaching as far as Ahmedabad and Peshawar. 


The 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake, occurred on 15 August and had a moment magnitude of 8.6. The epicenter was located in the Mishmi Hills. It is the strongest earthquake ever recorded on land.


Occurring on a Tuesday evening at 7:39 pm Indian Standard Time (IST), the earthquake was destructive both in Assam (India) and Tibet (China) with approximately 4,800 people being killed.


The earthquake is notable as being the largest recorded quake caused by continental collision rather than subduction and is also notable for the loud noises produced by the quake and reported throughout the region.


As per the seismic zoning map of the country, the total area is classified into four seismic zones. Zone V is seismically the most active region, while zone II is the least. Approximately, 11 per cent area of the country falls in Zone V, 18 per cent in Zone IV, 30 per cent in Zone III, and remaining in Zone II.  


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