KARACHI: A low-intensity earthquake jolted parts of the city on Wednesday morning, but officials said that the latest seismic activity had nothing to do with more than five dozen tremors the city experienced over two months ago.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the earthquake measuring 3.2 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred at 9:34am, with its epicentre located seven kilometres northwest of Malir at a depth of 10km.

Speaking to Dawn, Chief Meteorologist Ameer Hyder Leghari, also a senior seismologist, explained that today’s seismic activity was caused by the (active) fault passing close to the Thana Bola Khan.

He recalled that the 60-plus low intensity earthquakes the city experienced over two months back were caused by the reactivation of Landhi-Korangi fault line. “Hence, these are entirely two different situations,” he said.

Mr Leghari said that seismic activities caused by active faults were a normal thing.

According to experts, Karachi is surrounded by several active and dormant fault lines, and the seismic events — over 60 plus low-intensity tremors this year — were consistent with the region’s natural tectonic movements.

The Landhi, Quaidabad, Gadap and Malir areas are located near active fault lines, making them more vulnerable to seismic events.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025