Earthquakes in Kerala & the Lakshadweep Islands, India

State - Kerala, India
Capital - Thiruvananthapuram
Population - 31,838,619 (2001)

Union Territory - Lakshadweep Islands
Capital - Kavaratti
Population - 60,065 (2001)

Population per district (Top 5)
Malappuram - pop. 3,625,471
Thiruvananthapuram - pop. 3,234,356
Ernakulam - pop. 3,105,798
Thrissur - pop. 2,974,232
Kozhikode - pop. 2,879,131

Earthquake History
Seismic activity in the recent past has occurred in clusters (3) along the border with Tamil Nadu, primarily in the districts of Idukki and Pallakad. A number of faults have been identified in Kerala out of which a few, like the Periyar Fault are active. However, it must be stated that proximity to faults does not necessarily translate into a higher hazard as compared to areas located further away, as damage from earthquakes depends on numerous factors such as subsurface geology as well as adherence to the building codes.

Seismic Hazard

The seismic hazard map of India was updated in 2000 (11) by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). There are not major changes in the map with respect to Kerala. All districts in the state lie in Zone III. The maximum intensity expected in these areas would be around MSK VII. It must be noted that BIS estimates the hazard, based in part, on previous known earthquakes. Similarly all of the Lakshadweep Island also lie in Zone III. Since the earthquake database in India is still incomplete, especially with regards to earthquakes prior to the historical period (before 1800 A.D.), these zones offer a rough guide of the earthquake hazard in any particular region and need to be regularly updated (See also: GSHAP Hazard Map for Kerala & the Lakshadweep Islands).

Largest Instrumented Earthquake in Kerala & the Lakshadweep Islands
07 January 2001 - Idukki-Painavu area, Kerala, Mw 4.7
09.801 N, 76.548 E, D=025.4 kms, OT=02:55:59 UTC
A light earthquake struck the Kottayam region in Kerala, India, on 7 January 2001 at 08:25 AM local time resulting in two deaths and some damage to property in parts of central Kerala. It had a magnitude of Mw=4.6 and was felt for close to 27-seconds in parts of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Significant Earthquakes in Kerala & the Lakshadweep Islands
The following list briefly outlines known earthquakes in this region which either had observed intensities of V or higher (historical events) or had known magnitudes of M4.5 or more (instrumented events). General locations are provided for historical events for which "generalized" epicentral co-ordinates are available. Some events which were significant for other reasons are also included. This list will be updated whenever newer information is available. Please note that Magnitude and Intensity are NOT THE SAME. All events are within the state or union territory covered on this page unless stated otherwise.

Acronyms Used:
D=Depth, OT=Origin Time, Mw=Moment Magnitude, Ms=Surface Wave magnitude, Mb=Body Wave Magnitude, ML=Local Magnitude, M?=Magnitude Type unknown

December 1784 - Kochi area, Kerala (5, 10).
A "strong concussion" was felt at Kochi (5, 10). The shock was felt for two seconds during the night (15, 16).

February 1823 - Thiruvananthapuram area, Kerala (10, 14).
Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14).

02 March 1823 - Karukachal-Changanacheri area, Kerala (8).
09.50 N, 76.60 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity V (8).

15 September 1841 - Karukachal-Changanacheri area, Kerala (3, 10, 14).
Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14). Maximum observed intensity IV (8).

November 1845 - Thiruvananthapuram area, Kerala (10, 14).
Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14).

23 November 1849 - Karukachal-Changanacheri area, Kerala (8).
09.50 N, 76.60 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity V (8).

March 1856 - Thiruvananthapuram area, Kerala (10, 14).
Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14).

11 August 1856 - Thiruvananthapuram area, Kerala (8, 10, 14).
Maximum observed intensity V (8). Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14).

25 August 1856 - Thiruvananthapuram area, Kerala (8, 10, 14).
Maximum observed intensity V (8). Felt at Thiruvananthapuram (10, 14).

01 September 1856 - Karukachal-Changanacheri area, Kerala.
09.50 N, 76.60 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity V (8). Felt in the Thiruvananthapuram area (10, 14). This region lies to the south of Kottayam.

13 August 1858 - Kevadur-Tazhekkod area, Kerala.
11.40 N, 76.00 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity V (10). This region lies to the east of Kozhikode.

23 August 1858 - Kevadur-Tazhekkod area, Kerala.
11.40 N, 76.00 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity VI (10). This region lies to the east of Kozhikode.

28 February 1882 -  Udagamandalam (Ooty/Ootacamund) area, Tamil Nadu.
11.46 N, 76.70 E (3)
Maximum observed intensity VII (3). Felt at Kozhikode (10, 14) and Tellichery (3).

14 October 1882 - Allanur-Palaghat area, Kerala (10).
Event of unknown intensity felt (10).

27 April 1901 - Off the Kerala coast, Ms 5.0 (3)
12.00 N, 75.00 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity VI (8, 10). The earthquake was located off the coast of Kerala, west of Taliparamba and north-west of Cannanore. *Questionable. Use with caution*

26 July 1953 - Tekkumuri area, Kerala, Ms 5.0 (3)
09.90 N, 76.30 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity VI (8, 10).

October 1964 - Kozhikode area, Kerala, M? 4.3 (8)
11.30 N, 75.80 E (8)
Maximum observed intensity V (8).

07 June 1988 - Kalar-Idukki area, Kerala, Ms 4.5 (13).
09.80 N, 77.20 E (3), OT=03:05:48 UTC (13)
There were three events recorded within a 24-hour period. The largest was a magnitude 4.5, followed by a Ms 4.2 (3) the same day at 15:24:48 UTC (13) and a Ms 3.5 (3) on 08 June at 03:03:34 UTC (13). The fault plane solution indicates a strike-slip mechanism (3). This event was felt in the Idukki area of Kerala. The epicentre is located in the Cardamom Hills along the border with Tamil Nadu.

12 December 2000 - Idukki-Painavu area, Kerala, Mw 4.6
09.824 N, 76.763 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=01:23:58 UTC
A light earthquake struck the Idukki region in Kerala, India, on 12 December 2000 at 06:53 AM local time resulting in some damage to property in parts of central Kerala. It had a magnitude of Mw=4.7 and was felt for close to 40-seconds in parts of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

07 January 2001 - Idukki-Painavu area, Kerala, Mw 4.7
09.801 N, 76.548 E, D=025.4 kms, OT=02:55:59 UTC
A light earthquake struck the Kottayam region in Kerala, India, on 7 January 2001 at 08:25 AM local time resulting in two deaths and some damage to property in parts of central Kerala. It had a magnitude of Mw=4.6 and was felt for close to 27-seconds in parts of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

02 September 2001 - North Indian Ocean, Mw 6.1
00.908 N, 82.471 E, D=013.1 kms, OT=02:25:54 UTC
A strong earthquake occurred in the North Indian Ocean, on 2 September 2001 at 02:25 AM UTC and was felt in many parts of Sri Lanka and southern India. It had a magnitude of Mw=6.1.

26 December 2004 - Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake, Mw 9.1
03.298 N, 95.778 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=00:58:50 UTC
A "very great" earthquake struck the North Indian Ocean & the Bay of Bengal at 00:58 UTC on 26 December 2004. 2,30,210 people were are estimated to have been killed in the Indian Ocean-wide tsunami generated by this earthquake, including at least 100 in Kerala.

20 December 2006 - Kunnakulam-Vadakkancheri region, Kerala, ML 2.8
10.70 N, 76.14 E, D=010.5 kms, OT=13:49:39 UTC
A light earthquake struck the coastal Kunnakulam-Vadakkancheri region in northern Kerala on 20 December 2006 at 19:19 local time causing slight damage to property. The earthquake had a magnitude of ML=2.8 and was felt at many places in the districts of Pallakad and Thrissur districts.

27 December 2006 - Kunnakulam-Vadakkancheri region, Kerala, ML 3.0
10.698 N, 76.14 E, D=010.0 kms, OT=01:14:10 UTC
A light earthquake struck the coastal Kunnakulam-Vadakkancheri region in northern Kerala on 27 December 2006 at 06:44 local time. The earthquake had a magnitude of ML=3.0 and was felt in parts of the districts of Pallakad and Thrissur districts.