Andhra Pradesh: Earthquake of magnitude 4.5 strikes Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam, July 12
Mild earthquake tremors were felt in Visakhapatnam during the early hours of Sunday morning after an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 struck the city, with the epicentre located at a 10-kilometre depth in the Bay of Bengal, officials said.
The National Centre for Seismology in an X post said, "EQ of M: 4.5, On: 12/07/2026 05:05:46 IST, Lat: 16.805 N, Long: 84.381 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Bay of Bengal."
Professor Pentakota Trinadha Rao from Andhra University, Department of Geophysics, said that the tremors were felt at 5:05 AM.
"Today, about the earthquake which was felt in our Visakhapatnam, that is around early hours in the morning at 5:05 AM. So, actually, this earthquake's epicentre is at a 10-kilometre depth in the Bay of Bengal, which is situated about 225 kilometres from Kakinada," he said.
He explained that the seismic activity was a result of natural plate tectonic movements.
Actually, this earthquake is due to plate tectonic movement. So, actually, our Earth is divided into a number of plates. Underneath the surface of the Earth, we have three layers. The first one is the crust, which is about 0 to 50 kilometres. And from 50 to about 3,000 kilometres, it is known as the mantle. And beyond that, it is the core. And the core is again separated into the inner core and outer core. This is the structure of the Earth," he noted.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting explanation by the professor about plate tectonics. But 4.5 magnitude is nothing to worry about. India should invest more in earthquake early warning systems though, given our seismic zones.
Jabardast hai! 😄 We Vizagites are used to this. Last year there was a similar one. The sea is calm, no tsunami risk. Just a nudge from mother nature to remind us who's boss.
Good that the NCS and local authorities are prompt in sharing information. But why no public awareness campaign? Many people might panic unnecessarily because they don't understand mild quakes are normal in coastal areas.
As someone who moved from Canada to Vizag for work, these tremors are new to me! 😅 My apartment shook slightly. The professor's geology lesson was actually fascinating. India's tectonic activity is something we should all learn more about.
Acha, nice to see science explained so simply. But I wish the article hadn't scared my grandmother with "earthquake" before explaining it's mild. News should be clearer about risk levels.
Vizag is beautiful but these tremors remind us we're on the coast. Let's hope builders follow earthquake-resistant codes properly. That's the real lesson here. 🙏
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