Quetta: Residents of Sibi, Balochistan, were alarmed as earthquake tremors shook the area, causing widespread fear among the local population.
According to the Seismic Centre, the earthquake measured magnitude 4 with a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter located 50 kilometers southwest of Sibi.
This is not an isolated incident, as the Sibi region has experienced repeated tremors in recent days. On Thursday, a magnitude 3 earthquake struck with a depth of 15 kilometers, centered 40 kilometers southwest of Sibi.
A few days earlier, tremors of magnitude 3.1 were recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers, with the epicenter 60 kilometers northeast of Sibi.
Authorities have advised residents to remain alert and follow safety protocols, while seismologists continue monitoring the region for further activity.
Understanding earthquakes
Earthquakes occur when heat and pressure build up beneath the Earth’s surface, causing tectonic plates to shift. This sudden movement generates vibrations known as seismic waves, which radiate outward in all directions.
Regions located at the junctions of tectonic plates are particularly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. According to experts, areas that have experienced a major earthquake in the past are at risk of experiencing another significant tremor in the future.
An earthquake results from the abrupt release of energy in the Earth’s crust, which often emerges as volcanic lava on the surface.
Globally, more than 80 percent of earthquakes occur along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, a region famously known as the “Ring of Fire”, where volcanic activity is exceptionally high.
Most earthquakes also occur in fault zones, where tectonic plates collide, slide past, or grind against each other. Tectonic plates are massive slabs of rock that make up the outer layer of the Earth.
While the stress generated by these movements is not usually noticeable at the surface, its sudden release causes intense shaking, producing seismic waves that we feel as an earthquake.
