Earthquake of 5.8-Magnitude hits Nepal, Tremors Also Felt in Delhi-NCR - Check the Causes of Such Natural Disaster

Earthquake: A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday afternoon with tremors also being felt in parts of Delhi and the national capital region. The quake struck at 2:28 pm with the epicentre in Nepal at a place 148 km east of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, the National Centre for Seismology said. Earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR at 2.30 pm. It is being said that the tremors of the earthquake were felt for a long time. According to the information, the epicenter of the earthquake was 10 kilometers below the ground in Nepal. The tremors were so strong that people went out of their homes and offices. 

Causes of Earthquake   

The main reason for the occurrence of earthquakes is the collision of plates inside the earth. There are seven plates inside the earth which keep on rotating continuously. When these plates collide at some point, a fault line zone is formed there and the corners of the surface are folded. Due to the cornering of the surface, pressure builds up there and the plates start breaking. Due to the breakdown of these plates, the energy inside finds a way to come out, due to which the earth shakes and we consider it as an earthquake.

There are two main causes of earthquakes. One is the natural cause and the other can be inducted by human activities.

Natural causes: 

The natural causes can be further divided into six heads: 

• Underground Vapor Pressure: Vapors are generated underground for various reasons in the crust. As this vapor continues to rise, it pushes the lower part of the crust. As a result, severe earthquakes occur. 
• Tectonics: According to geologists, the crust is made up of moving layers. These layers are called plates. Beneath these plates lies all the molten material in the Earth's interior. Displacement of these melts due to natural causes also causes some displacement of the plates. Due to this, a part of one plate sinks under the other plate, causing tremors in the ground.
• Glacial effects: Large amounts of glaciers can break off and roll down mountain slopes, resulting in earthquakes.
• Volcanic Eruptions: Earthquakes can be caused by volcanic eruptions and the ejection of molten lava.
• Landslides: Earthquakes can be felt as a result of landslides.
• Meteor fall: Earthquakes can occur if a large meteor hits the earth.

Human activity:

• Atomic bomb explosion
• Earthquakes in river dams and reservoirs

However, we've long known that people can influence seismic activity, researchers were surprised to find that human activity has induced earthquakes with magnitudes as high as 7.9—and that the number of earthquakes is clearly rising in some regions of the world.

Let us tell you that at the beginning of the new year, an earthquake of 1.9 magnitude occurred in Delhi and NCR. The epicenter of this earthquake was in Haryana. The depth of this earthquake was 5 kilometers. Even before that, there was an earthquake of 2.5 magnitude in Delhi on 29 November 2022 and on November 12, earthquake tremors of 5.4 magnitude were experienced accordingly.