Rajkot: Several parts of the Saurashtra region were shaken by a cluster of earthquakes that began on Thursday evening and continued into Friday. All the tremors fell within the “micro” and “minor” ranges on the Richter scale, and no damage to life or property has been reported. In total, 12 tremors were recorded over a 16-hour period, with the first occurring at 8:43 pm on Thursday and the last at 11:44 am on Friday.

The magnitudes showed slight variation, with the strongest tremor measuring 3.8. On the Richter scale, earthquakes below magnitude 3 are classified as “micro,” while those between 3.0 and 3.9 are considered “minor.” Of the twelve tremors, four crossed the 3.0 mark, while the weakest measured 2.6. Some of the stronger jolts were felt strongly enough to prompt residents in parts of the district to step out of their homes as a precaution.

All the earthquakes were traced to an epicentre located 27 to 30 kilometres northwest of Upleta. While seismic activity of this nature is more commonly associated with the Kutch region, a cluster of tremors in Rajkot district is being viewed as unusual.

Officials from the Institute of Seismological Research in Gandhinagar said that earthquakes below magnitude 4 generally do not pose a serious threat. However, they noted that the reasons behind the occurrence of multiple tremors in such a short span require further analysis. Although the affected area in Rajkot does not lie on any known fault line, experts added that minor seismic activity is not uncommon in the post-monsoon period.