Rajkot quake: Magnitude 3.4 earthquake jolts rural areas, epicenter 13 km from Gondal, panic among people

The rural areas of Rajkot were shaken at 10.40 am today, as an earthquake of magnitude 3.4 was felt in rural areas. The epicenter of the earthquake was recorded 13 km from Gondal. However, no earthquake shock was felt in Rajkot. While earthquake shock has been reported in rural areas. The shock of the earthquake was felt in rural areas including Gondal, Virpur. No damage was reported anywhere due to the mild earthquake.

People are afraid of earthquake shocks

There was a sense of fear among the people due to the shock of the earthquake in the rural areas. People in Gondal came out of their houses as soon as the earthquake started, people in areas including Veerpur also came out of their houses. The shock of the earthquake was felt only after 10 o’clock in the morning when people were going to work. Farmers working in the fields in rural areas felt the shock of this earthquake.

Why do earthquakes occur?

There are 7 plates inside the earth, which are constantly rotating. Where these plates collide is called a zone faultline. The corners of some plates are broken due to repeated collisions. Then the internal heat finds its way out and the movement is followed by an earthquake.

Saurashtra falls in zone 3-4 in BIS seismic zoning map

Saurashtra division of the state falls under zone-3 and zone-4 under BIS seismic zoning map. Most of Saurashtra is zone-3 while a thin belt of Gulf of Kutch towards the north falls in zone-4. Earthquakes of magnitude up to 6 can occur in Zone-3, while in Zone-4 they can be up to 7. Most of Saurashtra is covered with basaltic rocks and dykes formed from volcanic lava. These areas have many lineaments, i.e. cracks or joints between two parts of the earth, but no major fault lines. So far 20 km from Jamnagar. A faultline has been found to the north, named the North Kathiawar Faultline.