A mild earthquake with a magnitude of 2.1 hit Delhi on Monday afternoon, according to National Center for Seismology. The earthquake’s epicentre was 13km away from Gurugram.
This is the sixth earthquake to have its epicentre around this area over the last 10 days. As per media reports, this is the 16th earthquake to be reported from in and around Delhi since April 2020. Most of the earthquakes have been mild and some of it were recorded only by seismographs.
“The string of earthquakes or tremors have sparked concerns that a bigger quake could strike the national capital region. Seismologists say the increased frequency does not necessarily imply that a major one is coming but stress that monitoring them is key to being prepared. Unlike many other natural disasters, earthquakes cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty,” Hindustan Times cited in its report.
AP Pandey, a seismologist at the NCS told Hindustan Times that there had been numerous small earthquakes in Delhi and Haryana over the last three years. “The Himalayan plate is moving in the north-northeast direction and subducting beneath the Eurasian plate. So, there is a lot of energy along weak zones which are sometimes released through fissures and lineaments,” he said.
The NCS says most of the small earthquakes recorded in Delhi since April this year were along lineaments. “It is good that energy or stress is being released through these lineaments. Otherwise, there can be a big release which can cause widespread damage,” Pandey added.
Delhi is the fourth most vulnerable zone for earthquakes in the country. Delhi mostly experiences tremors when a quake hits Central Asia or the Himalayan ranges.
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