Why does Delhi experience frequent Earthquakes? All you need to know

A magnitude of 4.4 earthquake jolted Delhi-NCR on Thursday morning, with the epicentre located in the Jhajjar district of Haryana, 51 kilometres west of Delhi. The tremor occurred at 9:04 am IST at a depth of 10 km, with coordinates 28.63°N latitude and 76.68°E longitude, according to the National Centre for Seismology. In Haryana, cities include Gurugram, Rohtak, Dadri and Bahadurgarh which has experienced the tremor. In addition, residents of Meerut and Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh also felt the quake.

The earthquake shaken buildings in the city, prompting residents to rush outdoors, however, no immediate damage or injuries were reported following the quake. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) came up with an advisory following the earthquake, directing people not to panic, run outside and take the stairs instead of lifts.

Why earthquakes so often in Delhi?

Earthquakes in the national capital is so frequent because this region lies at the junction of several tectonic plates and fault lines that contribute to risk of big seismic activities. According to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Delhi comes under seismic zone IV on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) seismic zoning map, an area of "fairly high seismicity", where quakes of magnitude 5-6 are mostly common. The authority also noted that an earthquakes measuring 7-8 on the Richter Scale can also occur in tis zone where it could lead to potential damage.

The next key factor of frequent quake in Delhi is because this region is proximity to the Himalayas and the continuous tectonic collision between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate has created the this mountain range to generates seismic waves that travel southward towards Delhi. And, the ongoing tectonic activity in the Himalayan region has results in frequent tremors in the northern plains, including the Delhi-NCR region, according to a report in Times of India.

There are several fault lines lies near Delhi, which includes the prominent Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault (MDF) and the Delhi-Hardwar Ridge Fault. Movements along these faults cause seismic events causing tremor in the national capital. These fault lines have been majorly responsible for moderate earthquakes in the history of the region.

Delhi has experienced multiple moderate quakes in the past. In 2020, the national capital experienced at least three quakes above 3.0 magnitude followed by multiple aftershocks. Since 1720, Delhi has seen at least five major Earthquakes with the magnitude above 5.5 on the Richter scale.