New Delhi (PTI): The temblor that jolted the national capital early Monday was a result of naturally occurring variation in the geological features of the region and not due to plate tectonics, a senior scientist said.
The 4.0 magnitude earthquake had its epicentre at Jheel Park region near Dhaula Kuan and the shallow focal depth made citizens in nearby areas hear loud sounds as the earth shifted slightly this morning.
Delhi region in northern India experiences frequent tremors due to both far-field and near-field earthquakes from the Himalayan and local sources, respectively.
The Dhaula Kuan region had experienced a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in 2007. However, its impact was not as strongly felt as Monday's temblor because it took place at a depth of 10 km, National Centre for Seismology Director O P Mishra said.
Delhi is placed in seismic zone IV in the seismic zoning map of India, the second highest in the country.
The national capital region is exposed to moderate to high risk seismic activity due to Himalayan earthquakes such as the 7.5 magnitude Garhwal Himalaya quake in 1803, 6.8 magnitude Uttarkashi earthquake in 1991, 6.6 magnitude Chamoli earthquake in 1999, 7.8 magnitude Gorkha earthquake in 2015 and a few moderate earthquakes from the Hindukush region.
Local earthquakes recorded in the region include 6.5 magnitude Delhi earthquake in 1720, 5 magnitude Mathura earthquake in 1842, 6.7 magnitude Bulandshahar earthquake in 1956 and 5.8 magnitude Moradabad earthquake in 1966.
"The epicentre of Monday's earthquake was at Jheel Park in Dhaula Kuan, it was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake. It was in the depth of 5 km, it is called shallow depth, hence people felt the effect," Mishra said.
Earthquakes have happened earlier in the region and seismologically, it is not new region
"Earlier, there was a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in 6 km periphery, but it was deeper, with 10 km depth. There is a difference. It was not a plate tectonic earthquake, it was due to in-situ material heterogeneity, it was due to local effect," Mishra said.
In-situ material heterogeneity means it occurred due to variation in geological features in the region.
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Kasaragod: The Government Medical College, which recently secured the National Medical Commission’s approval, admitted its first MBBS student on Monday, with Gurwinder Singh from Alwar in Rajasthan becoming the first of the 50 students in the inaugural batch of the College.
Singh received a warm welcome into the College with sweets by Principal-in-Charge Dr. KK Santosh Kumar and Medical Superintendent Dr Praveen. The admission procedure was formally completed with the recording of his attendance, reports On Manorama.
The College has seven seats reserved for candidates from the All-India rank list, and Singh qualified for a seat in the College under the All-India Medical Entrance quota.
Unlike the other government medical colleges in the state, where classes started this week after the admission of students during the first round of counseling, the Kasaragod Medical College had to wait for approval from the National Medical Commission. The College received the approval and began enrolling students after conclusion of counseling.
The classes will begin on September 30, after completion of Phase 2 of allotment. The first batch students are currently provided temporary hostel facilities at Cherkkala.
While the second student under the All-India rank list is expected to join the College today, the authorities have said they cannot guarantee how long the new students will remain, adding that some students may opt to move to other colleges if they are allotted seats there.