Residents of Delhi-NCR woke up to a 4.0 magnitude earthquake early Monday morning, sending panic-stricken people rushing outdoors. The tremor, which struck at 5:36 am, had its epicenter near Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education, Dhaula Kuan, as per PTI. While no immediate injuries or damage were reported, the quake left many shaken.

Social media was flooded with reactions, with memes joking about Delhi’s never-ending troubles—from pollution and traffic jams to now frequent tremors. Many users noted that this quake felt stronger than previous ones.

According to the National Center for Seismology, this area experiences minor tremors every 2–3 years, with the last notable one in 2015 (3.3 magnitude). Some residents even reported hearing a loud noise accompanying the quake. Many evacuated high-rise apartments, fearing structural instability.

What causes earthquakes?

Earthquakes occur due to the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust, usually from tectonic plate movements. Stress builds up at plate boundaries, and when the friction gives way, the plates shift abruptly, causing seismic waves. The hypocenter is where this occurs underground, while the epicenter is directly above it on the surface. Other causes include volcanic activity, mining, and reservoir-induced seismicity.

The Richter scale measures earthquake magnitude, quantifying the energy released during the event.