Epicentre in Haryana
Mild tremors lasting 20 seconds rocked New Delhi and its neighbourhood around lunchtime on March 5. The earthquake measured 4.9 on the Richter scale, says Jiya Lal Gautam of India Meteorological Department.
The epicentre was at 28.7 degrees north and 76.7 degrees east near the Haryana-Delhi border, at Bahadurgarh. The United States Geological Survey put the earthquake's magnitude at 5.2.
Partha Chakravarty, assistant professor at Delhi University's department of geology, says that it is a a mild-to-moderate shock, since the earthquake's magnitude was below 5.5. He says it's difficult to say at this point of time if it is an isolated event or related to a mega shock.
The earthquake comes two weeks after the National Disaster Management Authority organised a mock drill for disaster preparedness. People report they saw buildings shaking. Some people report their files fell from the desk. Delhi lies in the Zone IV of the seismic hazard map of India.
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