HCMC – Eight small earthquakes were recorded within nine hours in western Quang Ngai Province on October 13, all believed to be induced by nearby hydropower reservoirs, according to the Institute of Geophysics under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
The first quake of magnitude 3.6 occurred at 1:12 a.m. at a depth of 8.1 kilometers, while the strongest—magnitude 4.2—struck at 1:57 a.m.. The most recent tremor was detected just after 7:00 a.m., with a magnitude of 2.6. There earthquakes were centered in Mang But Commune.
The institute classified all eight as level-0 natural disaster risks, the lowest level, meaning they posed no significant threat to people or property.
Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center, said the tremors were triggered by hydropower operations in the region. This phenomenon, known as reservoir-induced seismicity, has been recorded for years in the area, with hundreds of minor quakes occurring annually.
Since early this year, nearly 300 earthquakes have been detected in western Quang Ngai. The region saw 254 quakes in 2022, 316 in 2023, and 436 in 2024. Most registered between magnitude 2.0 and below 4.0, while stronger quakes of magnitude 4.5 to 5.0 remain rare.
