2.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Delhi, 3rd in 20 Days

A minor earthquake of 2.5 magnitude occurred in Delhi Tuesday night, according to the National Centre for Seismology. This is the third quake that Delhi experienced within 20 days.

The quake?s epicentre was eight km west of New Delhi. Tremors were felt in the national capital, PTI reported.

On November 9, severe tremors were felt in and around Delhi after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal and left at least six people dead. Within a week on November 12, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal and tremors were also felt in Delhi-NCR and some other northern states.

5.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal, Tremors Felt Across Delhi-NCR; Second Jolt in A Week

ARE EARTHQUAKES HAPPENING MORE OFTEN?

According to a report by Straits Times, every year approximately 15 large earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7.0 occur. Only seven such earthquakes were recorded in the first ten months of 2022, indicating that the frequency of these disasters is within the normal range, said Dr Karen Lythgoe, senior research fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

A few more large earthquakes are expected to occur before the end of 2022, based on the statistical expectation of 15 large earthquakes per year, she said.

The occurrence of large earthquakes all over the world is a random process. This means that clusters of earthquakes can occur within a few days at times and at larger intervals of weeks or months at other times.

While three large earthquakes occurring in the same country on the same date is extremely unlikely, it is not impossible. In Mexico, for example, three large earthquakes struck on September 19: one in 1985, one in 2017, and one in 2022, all in different parts of the country.

Some experts also believe that instant information can also cause cognitive biases like clustering illusion. When we see earthquakes in the news, we believe there are more of them.

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Possibility of Major Earthquake in Himalayan Region

Scientists had earlier said there is a strong possibility of a major earthquake in the Himalayan region and underlined the need for better preparation to minimise the damage to life and property. Senior geophysicist of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Ajay Paul said the Himalayas have come into existence as a result of a collision between Indian and Eurasian plates.

Due to constant pressure of the Eurasian plate on the Indian plate, strained energy accumulating under it keeps releasing itself from time to time in the form of earthquakes, Paul said. The magnitude of future earthquake might be of seven or more on the richter scale, he claimed.

Four major earthquakes were recorded in the Himalayan region over the past 150 years, including the tremors in Shillong in 1897, in Kangra in 1905, in Bihar-Nepal in 1934 and in Assam in 1950.

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