'Nghe An is a locality where earthquakes often occur'

4.2 magnitude earthquake in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - At 3:32 p.m. on November 20, many areas of Nghe An province recorded an earthquake. The Institute of Geophysics recorded a magnitude 4.2 earthquake with a focal depth of about 10.0 km in Tan Ky district, Nghe An province.

Among these, the earthquake with magnitude 4.2 moment that occurred on the afternoon of November 20 in Nghe An was the largest. In addition, there were 2 earthquakes with magnitude 4 moment that occurred in Dien Bien Dong district (Dien Bien province), on May 21 and June 22. The remaining earthquakes that occurred during the year only ranged from magnitude 2.4 to 3.8 moment.

The epicenter of the earthquake occurred in Nghe An.

However, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh - Director of the Institute of Geophysics (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), said that people should not be too worried about this earthquake. "Nghe An is also a locality where earthquakes often occur. Because it is located in a fault system. Usually, earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 moment or more will cause damage," Dr. Xuan Anh said.

The Director of the Institute of Geophysics also said that the earthquake in Nghe An yesterday had a magnitude of 4.2, which is a moment magnitude, not a Richter scale as some newspapers reported. The moment magnitude scale is a way to measure earthquake strength developed in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Kanamori Hiroo, to succeed the Richter scale (local magnitude scale). In fact, today, scientists often calculate according to the moment magnitude scale, because the older Richter scale is not suitable for magnitudes greater than 6.8.

According to scientists, recorded earthquake epicenters are not randomly distributed, but are concentrated in a number of specific zones. In the North, earthquakes occur along the Muong La - Bac Yen, Son La, Song Ma fault zones....

In the event of an earthquake, experts recommend that people hold on to a door frame, or get under a table if they are in a sturdy building. If outdoors, stay away from power lines and poles and run to an open area. If you are driving, try to pull over and stop.