Three quakes strike north in June: scientists

Three small earthquakes have hit the northern region this month, scientists say (Source: VNA)

The Earthquake and Tsunami Information Centre under the Vietnam Institute of Geological Sciences said the latest one, of 2.8 degree on the Richter scale, struck on June 24 in Cao Loc district of the border province of Lang Son.

The earthquake’s epicenter lay at 21.875 degrees northern latitude and 106.773 eastern longitude, at a depth of 12km, the centre said.

It said it is closely monitoring the quake, its aftershocks, and related geological activities in the area.

About a week ago, June’s first earthquake, of 3.1 Richter magnitude, occurred in the Vietnam-China border area near Cao Bang province. This quake’s epicenter lay at 22.997 northern latitude and 105.951 eastern longitude, also at a depth of 12km.

A day later, the second earthquake hit Cam Pha town of the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh, measuring 2.8-3.3 on the Richter scale.

Nguyen Hong Phuong, deputy director of the centre, said quakes of this magnitude were “natural activities of the earth”.

“The three quakes happened in the mountainous region and have their epicentres lying more than 10km inside the earth, so it would be hard for people to notice anything. They didn’t pose any threat to human lives or properties,” Phuong said. -VNA