Minor quake hits city again, 4th since Apr 12

Delhi was hit by yet another earthquake on Friday. It was a low-intensity earthquake of 2.2 magnitude and was recorded in Northwest Delhi’s Pitampura area. This is the fourth such earthquake reported from the national capital territory in a month and the second one in May.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.2 on the Richter scale hit Delhi at 11.28 am. This is the third earthquake in the national capital amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Delhi witnessed two back-to-back incidents of low-intensity earthquakes in April with same location and nearby areas as the epicentre.

On April 12, a moderateintensity quake of magnitude 3.5 hit the national capital at a depth of 8 km. The very next day, another low-intensity earthquake of magnitude 2.7 shook parts of Delhi. The earthquake, with its epicentre near Wazirpur in

Northeast Delhi, took place at 1.26 pm at a depth of 5 km.

The major quakes recorded near the national capital were at Bulandshahr (magnitude 6.7) on October 10, 1956, and at Moradabad (magnitude 5.8) on August 15, 1966. Both are in western Uttar Pradesh. Of the four seismic zones in the country — Zone II, III, IV, V — Delhi falls under ‘Zone IV.’ Of these, Zone V is seismically the most active region, while Zone II is the least.

The national capital is vulnerable to earthquakes but it is rare for it to be the epicentre of a quake. Delhi, however, experiences tremors when a quake hits regions as far as Central Asia or the Himalayan ranges, known to be a high-seismic zone.

Delhi has been witnessing earthquakes in the range of two to three magnitude frequently. Experts say there is nothing to worry about as these are a normal phenomenon. In the last 10 years, the city has been hit by more than 100 earthquakes.

According to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, seismicity around Delhi appears to be associated with a major geological structure, which is known as the Delhi-Haridwar Ridge. It coincides with the extension of the Aravalli Mountain belt beneath the alluvial plains of the Ganga basin to the Northeast of Delhi towards the Himalaya.

The region around Delhi is known for seismic activities and cities closer to Delhi, like Alwar, Hisar, Sonepat, and Ajmer, have recorded seismic activities in the past.