New Delhi: The National Centre for Seismology (NCS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has confirmed that no natural earthquake was recorded in Wayanad or its adjoining areas on August 9, 2024. This clarification comes after media reports of felt tremors and rumbling sounds in the region.
According to the NCS, none of the seismographic stations installed across Kerala or its surroundings detected any seismic activity on the specified date. The tremors and associated rumbling sounds reported by local media are believed to have been caused by the shifting of unstable rock masses accumulated during landslides. These rock masses likely moved from one level to a lower one, generating subterranean acoustic vibrations due to the frictional energy released during the process.
This type of energy can propagate across hundreds of kilometers through sub-surface cracks and fractures, which are commonly found in landslide-prone zones. The resulting vibrations and sounds are natural phenomena in such areas, and according to the NCS, there is no cause for alarm.
The NCS reassured residents that the National Seismological Network, which monitors seismic activity across the country, did not record any earthquake in the region on August 9. The organization urged the public not to panic, emphasizing that the acoustic subterranean vibrations observed are not related to any seismic event.