Hi Petra. Being as how Bangladesh is among the most densely populated country in the world a major quake there would indeed be a disaster. Much of the country lies in active seismic zones making the occurrence of deadly earthquakes a frightening possibility. Many of the earthquakes have occurred in the northeastern part of the country and in the southeastern area. The Madhupur Fault runs in Dhaka division though its exact location is unknown to the ASC. The border with the Indian state of Meghalaya is also a fault. Dhaka and Chittagong have both suffered severe earthquakes in the past. Tsunamis have also wreaked havoc in this tiny nation. A tsunami, or tidal surge in this area in the past has killed more people then the quake itself. Typhoons in the Bay of Bengal have caused tidal surges to push many miles inland killing thousand of people.

The largest earthquake to occur in Bangladesh was on 8th July 1918 near Kishorganj (Northern Dhaka Division), Bangladesh and was an Mw 7.4. Often referred to as the Srimangal earthquake, this massive quake was centered east of the city of Mymensingh, in the northern part of Dhaka Division, near Kishorganj, Bangladesh. It was preceded by a series of light to moderate foreshocks. This is sort of what were seeing now.

Bangladesh has an impressive history of earthquakes dating all the way back to 2 April 1762. It goes back to 1594, but have been unable to find any data before 1762. This earthquake caused severe damage in Chittagong and neighboring towns. It also caused the first properly documented tsunami in the Bay of Bengal. Water in the Hoogly River, in Calcutta rose by two meters. In Dhaka, the water rose very suddenly and hundreds of boats capsized killing many. The quake also elevated the Arakan coast for more than 150 kilometers.

Here is a short list of the most recent quakes that have occurred in the area and had an affect on Chittagong.

22nd July 1999 - Maheskhali Island (Chittagong Division), Bangladesh, Mb 5.2 (GS), ML 4.7 (IMD) 10:42:11 UTC, 21.544 N, 91.895 E
Centered 4.75 kilometers NW Kutubjom, Maheskhali Island this earthquake caused widespread damage on Maheskhali Island. At least 7 people were killed and more than 500 were injured. A small tidal surge was also reported to have occurred after the quake.

31st December 1999 - Off Kutubdia Island (Chittagong Division), Bangladesh, ML 5.4
00:53:44 UTC, 21.43 N, 91.76 E
This was the largest in a series of tremors that rattled southeastern Bangladesh towards the end of 1999 and into 2000. This quake reportedly triggered a tidal surge that reached heights of 4 feet at Cox's Bazaar. As it can be seen it doesn’t require a very large quake to cause tidal surges.

It will be interesting to see what the most recent quake activity means for this area. Take Care…Don in creepy town