The site of Saturday morning’s earthquake in Quảng Ngãi, shown on Google Maps.— VNA Photo

QUẢNG NGÃI — A series of mild earthquakes shook northern, central and central highland Việt Nam over the past two days, rattling residents in Sơn La, Huế and Quảng Ngãi but causing no damage.

The latest tremor hit Măng Ri Commune in Quảng Ngãi on Saturday morning, registering a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale at a depth of about 8km.

It followed two smaller quakes on Friday – one of magnitude 3.6 in Sơn La and another of 4.0 in Huế later that evening.

Nguyễn Xuân Anh, Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre, described the Quảng Ngãi event as a 'triggered earthquake,' likely linked to local stress changes in the Earth’s crust rather than major tectonic movement.

Since 2021, scientists have recorded hundreds of small quakes across the region historically part of Kon Tum, especially around Kon Plông District (now part of Quảng Ngãi). 

The strongest in recent years – magnitude 5.0 – struck in July 2024, following a 4.7 quake in August 2022.

Anh said the pattern was expected to continue but that future quakes were unlikely to exceed magnitude 5.5. He added that more detailed studies were needed to better understand the region’s seismic activity.

Earthquakes in Việt Nam are mostly minor, usually below magnitude 5.0, and rarely cause damage or casualties. Even so, scientists monitor them closely as part of long-term efforts to assess seismic risk and improve early-warning systems. — VNS