On Tuesday afternoon, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean at a depth of 10 km, occurring around 12:31 pm. The epicenter was located 1,326 km southeast of Colombo in Sri Lanka, according to the NCS.
Despite the seismic activity, scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), operators of the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), swiftly dismissed any tsunami threat. TM Balakrishnan Nair, Group Director of Ocean Modeling, Applied Research, and Services (OMARS) at INCOIS, clarified that for a tsunami to be a concern, the earthquake magnitude should be 6.5 or higher, with a depth less than 10 km. In this case, the earthquake occurred in a strike-slip fault, where tectonic plates move more horizontally past each other, typically not causing tsunamis. Nair highlighted that the likelihood of tsunamis is higher near thrust faults, characterized by vertical motion that can displace water and generate tsunami waves.
Post Your Comments