A massive earthquake of 6.8 hit the Hindu Kush area in Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending tremors across Delhi, Noida, and surrounding areas of the national capital. The quake was at a depth of 184 km (114 miles).
In India, tremors were reported from several regions like Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, etc. and the geological experts have claimed that the earthquake occurred as the Indo-Australian plate collided with the Eurasian plate.
“As we know that the Indo-Australian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate and this release happened in that region. The HKH region is very active seismologically. The reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt it for a relatively long time is because of the depth.
The depth of the fault is over 150 km so first primary waves were felt and then secondary waves. Aftershocks are likely now but they can’t be Forecast”, J L Gautam, head of the office and Scientist at the National Center for Seismology, said.
The epicenter of the earthquake is believed to be 90 km from Kalafgan in Afghanistan. According to reports, the earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude hit countries including Turkmenistan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
“People ran out of their houses and were reciting the Koran,” with similar news coming from the capital Islamabad, Lahore, and elsewhere in the country.
Here’s Why earthquak occurs?
An earthquake is a natural phenomenon that occurs when there is a sudden release of energy from within the Earth’s crust. This energy is released in the form of seismic waves, which cause the ground to shake and vibrate.
Earthquakes can occur for a variety of reasons, but the most common cause is the movement of tectonic plates. The Earth’s crust is made up of several large plates that float on top of the molten rock in the Earth’s mantle. When two plates move against each other, they can become locked together, and the pressure between them can build up over time. Eventually, the pressure becomes too great, and the plates suddenly slip, causing an earthquake.
Other causes of earthquakes can include volcanic activity, underground explosions, and the filling of large reservoirs behind dams.
It is important to note that earthquakes are a natural occurrence and are not caused by human activity. However, human activity can sometimes contribute to the severity of an earthquake or its impact on society, for example, by building structures on unstable ground or by drilling deep into the Earth’s crust.