Earthquake of magnitude 4.0 hits Delhi, no injuries reported

Delhi residents woke up to a loud boom in the wee hours of Monday as an earthquake of magnitude 4.0 hit the capital city and many adjoining areas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged everyone to stay calm and remain alert for possible aftershocks. “Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas. Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions, stay alert for possible aftershocks. Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation,” the PM said, following the early morning scare when people rushed to the streets after a loud thud echoed across several neighborhoods.

According to the National Centre of Seismology, the earthquake hit at a depth of around 5 km. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries. Scientists explained that the loud noise accompanying the quake was due to high-frequency vibrations from shallow earthquakes, which generate a booming sound as the ground vibrates and creates seismic waves that reach the air and turn into sound waves. They also noted that the shallower the epicenter, the more energy and sound it can produce.

The epicenter of Monday’s quake was located near the Durgabhai Deshmukh College of Special Education in Dhaula Kuan. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) highlighted that seismic activity around Delhi is tied to the Delhi-Hardwar Ridge, a major geological structure that extends from the Aravali Mountain range beneath the Ganga basin towards the Himalayas.

Delhi falls within seismic zone IV, an area with relatively high seismicity where earthquakes of magnitude 5-6 are common, with occasional quakes of magnitude 6-7 and rarely, 7-8. This places the capital among the high-risk regions for earthquakes. The DDMA further explained that seismicity in North India, including the Himalayas, results from the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. “This is a continuous process happening for the last 50 million years. These colliding plates flex, storing energy like a spring and when the plate’s margin finally slips to release energy, an earthquake results,” DDMA said.