Explainer: What is causing Karachi's earthquake tremors?

Karachi has experienced 16 mild earthquakes since Sunday, the Seismic Monitoring Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed on Tuesday.

The latest tremor occurred at 9:57am with a magnitude of 2.8. Its epicentre was 15 kilometres northeast of Malir, at a depth of 40 kilometres.

Earlier, two tremors were felt late Monday night — the first at midnight (2.6 magnitude) and the second at 12:23am (2.8 magnitude), both at 40km depth near Malir.

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

Repeated tremors have been felt in Landhi, Quaidabad, Malir, and nearby areas. No damage or injuries have been reported so far.

So, what's causing the tremors?

Chief Meteorologist Aamir Haider told Geo News that the Landhi Fault Line has become active after several decades and is currently going through a normalisation phase.

He explained that mild quakes may continue for up to a week due to the gradual release of energy, which helps prevent a major earthquake. The shallow depth of recent quakes makes them more noticeable.

Haider advised that buildings on fault lines should withstand tremors up to magnitude 6. He also noted that the cracks reported in some houses are likely due to structural issues.

Another nearby fault near Thana Bula Khan is also contributing to seismic activity.