On May 29, tremors were felt near Sylhet in Bangladesh. Following the quake, many social media users started claiming that the tremors were not caused by any earthquake but by the explosion of Chevron mine near Sylhet. Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation.
A social media user shared a post that reads, “Apparently not earthquakes, but mine bombing by Chevron near Sylhet.”
The link to the post can be seen here.
Similar posts can be found here and here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile did a fact-check and found the claim to be false.
On searching with the keyword, ‘Earthquake in Sylhet’, we found a report published by The Business Standard on May 30, 2021.
According to the report, people of Sylhet felt tremors at least five times between 10:58 am to 2 pm on May 29, 2021. The report also quoted Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), according to which the first earthquake struck at 10:58 am had a magnitude of 4.1, the one that occurred at 4 pm was of magnitude 4, and the rest were milder.
BMD Meteorologist Mominul Islam said, “Since 2019, sources (epicentre) of four earthquakes, with a magnitude between 2.77 and 4, were in Sylhet and surrounding areas. Out of five earthquakes on Saturday, the magnitude of two was 4. The earthquakes were not detected by seismographs in Dhaka. Data was found only from Sylhet.”
In a report, BDNews 24 stated that Dhaka University’s Earth Observatory has detected the epicentre of the tremors near the east end of the Dauki fault, a major fault along the southern boundary of the Shillong Plateau that causes seismic hazards for the adjoining areas, including Bangladesh’s northeast area. According to meteorologist Mominul Islam, the fault has made the Sylhet region prone to earthquakes.
The Daily Star quoted Dr Syed Humayun Akhter, professor of the Geology Department of Dhaka University, who said that the force gathered at the fault for a thousand years can cause an earthquake of magnitude 8 or above. This force can either erupt at a time or partially.
The scientific agency of the United States government, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), also recorded a 4.2-magnitude earthquake along the Dauki Fault on May 30, the tremors of which were felt in Sylhet.
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, (IRIS) also recorded the earthquake in Northeastern India during the same time.
Hence, Sylhet felt the tremors of the earthquake and the claim of the Chevron mine exploding is fake.
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