{"id":37643,"date":"2025-02-19T19:28:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T13:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=37643"},"modified":"2025-02-25T11:55:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T06:25:12","slug":"delhi-shallow-earthquake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-02-2025\/delhi-shallow-earthquake","title":{"rendered":"Delhi\u2019s Shallow Earthquake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Geography; Important Geo-physical Phenomena<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck Delhi-NCR, causing strong tremors despite its moderate intensity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The National Center for Seismology (NCS) attributed the quake to <strong>in-situ material heterogeneity<\/strong>\u2014natural geological variations\u2014<strong>rather than plate tectonics.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is \u2018In-Situ Material Heterogeneity\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unlike earthquakes caused by tectonic plate movement, this event resulted from variations in the physical properties of the Earth&#8217;s crust. Differences in rock type, fluid presence, and stress concentration can create localized seismic activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Delhi\u2019s Seismic Risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Located in <strong>Seismic Zone IV (second highest in India)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Near the<strong> Indian-Eurasian Plate collision zone<\/strong>, where stress builds along fault lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Major Fault Systems:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Delhi-Haridwar Ridge<\/strong> (extension of the Indian Plate).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aravalli Fault System <\/strong>(deep-seated geological structure).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Strong Tremors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Shallow Depth (5 km):<\/strong> Seismic waves had less distance to travel, intensifying the impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Epicenter Within Delhi: <\/strong>The city\u2019s dense urban landscape and high-rise structures amplified the effects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soft Alluvial Soil:<\/strong> The Indo-Gangetic Plain geology enhances wave propagation, making tremors feel stronger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Earthquake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the shaking of the ground caused by movement beneath the earth\u2019s surface when two blocks slip past each other along a fault.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It <strong>releases stored elastic strain energy<\/strong> in the form of seismic waves, which causes ground shaking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Epicentre: <\/strong>location directly above it on the surface of the earth;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hypocenter: <\/strong>location below the earth\u2019s surface where the earthquake;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Measuring of Earthquake:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Magnitude<\/strong>: Richter scale;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Intensity<\/strong>:&nbsp; Mercalli scale;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-01-2025\/himalayas-region-earthquake\"><strong><u>Earthquake in India<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is one of the most seismically active regions in the world due to its geographical positioning along the <strong>Indian Plate, which is colliding with the Eurasian Plate.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Earthquakes have historically caused significant devastation in various parts of the country, particularly in the <strong>Himalayan belt and other seismically vulnerable regions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>growing number of tremors<\/strong> could be linked to <strong>shifts in tectonic stress along fault lines,<\/strong> particularly in northern India, and due to the <strong>activation of the Almora fault<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India&#8217;s Earthquake Zones and Risk Areas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is highly vulnerable to earthquakes, with <strong>58.6% of India\u2019s landmass<\/strong> is prone to moderate to very high intensity earthquakes.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>State-wise <strong>\u2018Seismic Zonation Map\u2019 of the India<\/strong> country given by <strong>Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Approximately 11% area falls in Zone V, about 18% in Zone IV, about 30% in Zone III and remaining in Zone II.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Seismic Zones in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Zone V (Highest Risk):<\/strong> Northeast India, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Bihar and Gujarat.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These are the<strong> most vulnerable areas <\/strong>in India, corresponding to <strong>MSK-9 levels of intensity or higher.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zone IV:<\/strong><strong>Delhi<\/strong>, parts of Maharashtra, Jammu &amp; Kashmir.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It includes areas that are expected to experience<strong> MSK-8-level<\/strong> intensity during an earthquake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zone III:<\/strong> Southern and central states with moderate seismic activity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zone II:<\/strong> Least risk, including parts of southern India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d6d0be\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"601\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/02\/earthquake-hazard-map-1024x601.webp\" alt=\"seismic zones in india\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-37669\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d6d0be; width:462px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/02\/earthquake-hazard-map-1024x601.webp 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/02\/earthquake-hazard-map-300x176.webp 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/02\/earthquake-hazard-map-768x451.webp 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/02\/earthquake-hazard-map.webp 1224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Seismic Monitoring:<\/strong> The<strong> India Meteorological Department (IMD)<\/strong> actively monitors seismic activity and provides real-time updates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NDMA Guidelines:<\/strong> The NDMA has issued detailed guidelines for earthquake preparedness, including community awareness programs and structural safety measures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Smart Cities and Resilient Infrastructure:<\/strong> Government policies now emphasize earthquake-resistant buildings, particularly in high-risk areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-sci-tech\/explained-the-dawn-quake-in-delhi-9841653\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck Delhi-NCR, causing strong tremors despite its moderate intensity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37643"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37987,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37643\/revisions\/37987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}