• First tremor recorded at midnight on Monday.
• Epicentre near Malir, depth around 40 kilometres.
• Third jolt recorded near Korangi early Tuesday.

Karachi has now experienced 19 mild earthquakes since Sunday, the Seismic Monitoring Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed on Tuesday.

The latest tremor occurred at 9:57am, registering a magnitude of 2.8. The epicentre of the 16th quake was located northeast of Malir, approximately 15 kilometres from the area, at a depth of 40 kilometres.

Previously, two back-to-back tremors were recorded late Monday night — the first at midnight with a magnitude of 2.6 and the second at 12:23am measuring 2.8. Both had a depth of 40 kilometres and were centred northeast of Malir.

The third tremor occurred at 6:42am Tuesday with a magnitude of 3.2 and a shallower depth of 11 kilometres, near Korangi.

Since Sunday evening, repeated mild tremors have been felt in Karachi’s Landhi, Quaidabad, Malir, and surrounding neighbourhoods, raising concerns among residents. No significant damage or injuries have been reported.

Reason behind tremors

Chief Meteorologist Aamir Haider attributed the ongoing seismic activity to the activation of the Landhi Fault Line, which he said is currently going through a normalisation phase.

According to Haider, mild earthquakes may continue for up to another week as energy is gradually being released from the fault line. He explained that this slow release of energy helps prevent the risk of a major earthquake.

“This particular fault line has been activated after several decades,” he noted, adding that the shallow depth of recent quakes is the reason they are being felt more intensely across the city.

Haider stressed that buildings situated directly above the fault line should be capable of withstanding tremors of up to magnitude 6. He also pointed out that the fault lines running through Karachi have been historically identified and documented.

Responding to concerns over cracks developing in homes, Haider clarified that such issues are related to structural integrity and not necessarily linked to seismic activity.

He also mentioned the presence of another fault line near Thana Bula Khan, contributing to the overall seismic activity in and around Karachi.

Where and when did quakes take place?

The earthquake activity began on Sunday, June 1, with a 3.6 magnitude tremor at 5:33pm. This initial event, occurring at a depth of 10km, was centred near Quaidabad.

Monday, June 2, saw a flurry of activity throughout the day and into the night. Early morning brought a 3.2 magnitude tremor at 1:06am near Gadap Town, at a depth of 12km. This was followed by two more 3.2 magnitude tremors near Quaidabad at 10:29am and 11:04am, both at a depth of 10km.

Mid-morning, at 11:45am, a 3.1 magnitude tremor was recorded 40km south-east of Malir, also at a 10km depth. The afternoon saw a 2.2 magnitude tremor at 12:17pm, 5km south-east of Malir, at a depth of 29km, and a deeper 2.4 magnitude event at 1:11pm, 11km east of Malir, with a substantial depth of 188km.

Later in the day, a 2.9 magnitude tremor occurred near DHA City at 1:38pm, at a shallow depth of 5km, followed by a 3.0 magnitude event at 8:49pm, 30km east of DHA, also at a 5km depth.

As the night progressed, a 2.4 magnitude tremor was felt at 11:16pm, 10km south-east of Malir, at a 10km depth, with another 3.1 magnitude tremor at 11:56pm, 20km south-east of DHA, at a depth of 50km.

The seismic activity continued into Tuesday, June 3. Early on Tuesday, at 12:00am, a 2.6 magnitude tremor was registered 5km south-east of Malir, at a depth of 49km. Just over 20 minutes later, at 12:23am, another tremor, measuring 2.8 magnitude, was recorded 5km north-east of Malir, at a depth of 40km.

A 3.4 magnitude event occurred at 12:53am, 10km north-west of DHA Karachi, at a depth of 20km. At 12:03am, a 3.1 magnitude tremor struck 53km north-east of DHA, at a depth of 10km.

Later in the morning, at 4:31am, a 2.1 magnitude tremor was noted 2km north-west of Malir, at a depth of 10km. A more significant 3.2 magnitude tremor occurred at 6:41am, 29km south-west of Korangi, at a depth of 10km. The latest reported tremor for the day was at 9:57am, a 2.8 magnitude event 15km north-east of Malir, at a depth of 40 km.