Two minor tremors hit Nagpur region in two days, 2.6 near Umred and 1.9 in Nagpur

Repeated seismic activity recorded a few kilometres from Nagpur city has raised concern that the entire area is becoming seismically sensitive. The latest tremor came on Monday, November 9.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded a 1.9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale at about 3.29 pm that day. Its epicentre was given as Nagpur, at a depth of 4 km below the surface. It was not felt above ground.

A day earlier, on Diwali, November 8, a tremor had also been recorded. An earthquake of 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale was recorded near Umred, about 27 km south-east of Nagpur. Seismic activity was thus recorded in Nagpur and the surrounding area on two consecutive days. Both tremors were too mild for people to notice, but the question being raised is whether the area is becoming sensitive in terms of earthquakes.

Nagpur and the surrounding Vidarbha region, once considered safe from earthquakes, are now worried by the continuing tremors. Officially, Nagpur falls in Seismic Zone 2, which is considered the lowest-risk zone for earthquakes.

Recent reports by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and scientists indicate that the seismic activity being recorded in the region could be a sign of a major warning. The epicentres of the recent tremors have been found at a depth of 8 to 10 km below the surface. This makes it clear that the tremors are not due to mining but are entirely part of natural geological processes.

In view of the repeated tremors, the GSI began a detailed study of the region in June 2024. In August 2024, a micro-earthquake survey also began over an area of 1,400 square km. The GSI team carried out investigations in 21 villages of Parseoni, Kuhi, Umred and Kamptee tehsils. Scientists are examining whether stress within the ground, or faults that lay dormant for decades, are becoming active again.

In the past few years, several low-intensity seismic events have been recorded in Nagpur and the surrounding Vidarbha region. The details are as follows.

Two low-intensity earthquakes were recorded in the Nagpur region in 2023. In February-March 2024, six seismic events were reported around Nagpur. In March 2024, tremors were recorded around Hingna's Zilpi lake, Parseoni and the Wardha Road area.

A 2.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Singori village in Saoner on May 3, 2024, while a 2.4 magnitude tremor was recorded near Malni village in Kuhi on May 4, 2024. In September 2024, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Melghat in Amravati. In October 2024, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, near the Nagpur border.

In December 2024, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Mulugu in Telangana, and its tremors were felt in several parts of Vidarbha. On October 22, 2026, a 2.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Ghugus in Chandrapur. After that, tremors of 2.6 magnitude near Umred on November 8, 2026 and 1.9 magnitude in Nagpur on November 9, 2026 were recorded.