By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A moderate earthquake hit some parts of South Chungcheong Province including Nonsan and Daejeon but there were no immediate reports of casualties, the nation's earthquake observer said Wednesday.
The quake occurred at 9:26 a.m. and measured a magnitude 3.4 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter of the tremor located 15 kilometers south of Gongju in South Chungcheong Province, the Korea Metrological Administration said.
``Usually, the epicenter is between five and 10 kilometers under the surface of the earth. But this one was from less than five kilometers, which consequently resulted in stronger tremor for people around the area despite the comparatively lower magnitude,'' an official from the KMA said.
An earthquake with a magnitude of three or lower is mostly imperceptible while one with a magnitude of seven or more can cause serious damage over large areas.