Four small earthquakes occur near Thailand in the early hours of Tuesday
Four small earthquakes occurred near Thailand on Tuesday morning, with epicentres in Indonesia and Myanmar. The NDWC confirmed that these quakes had no impact on Thailand.
The Meteorological Department reported that four small earthquakes struck Indonesia and Myanmar, not far from Thailand, in the early hours of Tuesday. The National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) later confirmed that the quakes had no impact on Thailand.
The Earthquake Observation Division of the Meteorological Department stated that two small quakes occurred in the northern part of Sumatra, Indonesia, at 0:30 am and 3:02 am, while two others took place in Myanmar at 2:47 am and 3:38 am.
The quakes were reported in chronological order as follows:
0:30 am: A 4.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in northern Sumatra at a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was located approximately 344 kilometres southwest of Phuket's Mueang district at Latitude 5.062°N and Longitude 97.133°E.
2:47 am: A 2.6-magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar at a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was about 137 kilometres northwest of Khun Yuam district in Mae Hong Son at Latitude 18.874°N and Longitude 96.637°E.
3:02 am: A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Sumatra at a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was located about 346 kilometres southwest of Phuket's Mueang district at Latitude 5.119°N and Longitude 96.971°E.
3:38 am: A 2.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar at a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was located about 167 kilometres northwest of Mae Hong Son's Mueang district at Latitude 19.296°N and Longitude 96.380°E.
After the division's announcement, the NDWC of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation confirmed that the quakes in Indonesia had no impact on Thailand. The NDWC reassured the public that the quakes in Sumatra were small and that there was no need to panic.
According to foreign experts, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake is generally considered light or minor, but not large in the context of the overall magnitude scale. Here's a breakdown of what that typically means:
- Felt by people: Earthquakes in the 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude range are often felt by people.
- Damage: These quakes rarely cause damage to well-built structures, but they might cause minor breakages of objects (like dishes rattling or falling off shelves) and light damage to very poorly constructed buildings.
- Scale context: On the logarithmic scale (such as the Richter or Moment Magnitude scale), an earthquake is considered major at a magnitude of 5.0 to 5.9 and great at 7.0 or higher. A 4.0 is much closer to the lowest threshold for being felt.
