Karachi experiences 36 mild quakes in 12 days, other regions jittery too

KARACHI/QUETTA, JUN 12 (DNA): Karachi has experienced unusual seismic activity since June 1, with 36 minor earthquakes recorded so far due to the activation of the Landhi fault line, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday.

The most recent tremor, with a magnitude of 2.6 and a depth of 10 kilometres, struck today at 1:45am, with its epicentre located 8km southeast of Malir. 

The PMD officials have confirmed that all 36 quakes in this seismic swarm in the port city have been of a minor nature and come amidst other earthquake events reported across Pakistan.

Another earthquake was recorded on the same day near Quetta when residents felt tremors with a magnitude of 2.8.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the quake had a depth of 23km, with its epicentre located 75km northeast of Quetta.

Just a day before these quakes, Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was rattled by a mild earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter Scale. The seismological centre reported that the tremors originated from Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range, with a depth of 211km.

These recent events follow a series of earlier quakes that have affected various parts of Pakistan.

Around a month ago, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit Islamabad and parts of KP, including Mardan, Swat, Nowshera, Swabi, and North Waziristan. Its epicentre was also located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 230km.

Before that, two more significant quakes impacted KP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.

On April 12, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck several cities across northern Punjab, KP, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at a reported depth of 12km.

Cities in Punjab like Attock and Chakwal, and in KP such as Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, and Shabqadar, all reported experiencing the tremors.

Days later, on April 16, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake again hit several areas of KP, AJK, Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Pakistan, a country situated on the active boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Indian plate’s continuous northward push into the Eurasian plate makes large parts of South Asia seismically active.