Plate activities being watched

By Indika Sri Aravinda 

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau says it is monitoring the seismic activity close to Sri Lanka following the 6.0 earthquake recorded in the area earlier this week.

The 6.0 quake was the biggest to have been recorded from that particular plate and a bigger one could occur but is unlikely to cause any major damage to Sri Lanka, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau added.

Speaking to Daily Mirror online, Chairman of the Bureau, Dr. N.J. Vithyananda said, “We are monitoring the situation closely. 6.0 is the highest earthquake we have had.”

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck close to Sri Lanka early on Monday morning but did not cause any damages nor was there a threat of a tsunami. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 and was centered about 1,151 kilometers (716 miles) south-southeast of Colombo according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Center. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake.

Because the earthquake was located so far from land, no damage or casualties are expected. The magnitude of the earthquake was too low to cause a tsunami threat.