This article is also available in: Русский (Russian) Uzbek
This morning, on September 9, an earthquake occurred in Tashkent with a magnitude of two points. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Mirzo-Ulugbek district. Many city residents shared on social media that they didn’t feel the tremors as much as they heard a loud sound resembling an explosion. This phenomenon raised many questions, with some even speculating that it wasn’t an earthquake but something else. Let’s dive into what really happened.
Why does this happen?
Such sounds during earthquakes are not uncommon. They arise for several reasons and are often related to the characteristics of the earthquake, particularly its depth and type.
In this case, the earthquake’s epicenter was at a shallow depth—only 10 kilometers from the surface. This resulted in what is known as an “energy burst,” where the energy released from the fracture in the Earth’s crust created an acoustic wave that propagated through the air.
This wave essentially represents a sound shock, which residents could perceive as an explosion. The sound is accompanied by a deep and sharp noise caused by the rapid release of energy at a shallow depth. The closer the epicenter is to the surface, the louder and more distinct these sounds can be.
Earthquake Sounds: What are they?
The sounds associated with earthquakes are called seismoacoustic waves. They travel through the ground and air, ranging from a light hum to loud explosions depending on the magnitude and depth of the earthquake. These sounds are often more noticeable during weaker earthquakes, when the tremors are minimal or not felt at all.
When an earthquake occurs at a shallow depth, it generates both seismic and acoustic waves. This explains why many Tashkent residents heard a loud sound but didn’t feel strong tremors. In this case, the earthquake had a predominantly vertical nature, which also contributed to the occurrence of acoustic waves.
The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article