Strong earthquake tremors were felt in Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India on Sunday (9 November 2025) at 12:06 pm. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported it to be of 5.4 magnitude, whose center was at a depth of about 90 kilometers below the ground. As soon as the earthquake was felt, people in many coastal areas started running towards safe places. However, it is a matter of relief that there was no news of any major damage or loss of life.
There was a difference in the reports of three major institutions regarding this earthquake. According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the depth of the earthquake is 90 km. The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 5.5. On the other hand, the German Geological Research Center (GFZ) reported the intensity of the earthquake as 6.07 on the Richter scale, which was 10 km underground. According to NCS, it was a deep focus earthquake, while GFZ described it as shallow. The shallower the earthquake is, the stronger its tremors are felt on the surface, due to which the possibility of damage is greater.
There is no possibility of tsunami but vigilance continues
Shortly after the earthquake, the Malaysian Department of Geophysics and the Indian Tsunami Warning Center (INCOIS) clarified that there was no danger of a tsunami. No unusual movement was detected in the sea waves. Despite this, vigilance has been increased in coastal areas and fishing vessels have been advised not to go into the deep sea.
Why is Andaman and Nicobar seismically sensitive?
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands fall in India’s Seismic Zone V, which is considered the most sensitive and high-risk area of the country. The geographical position of this region is such that it is situated at the confluence of the Indian and Burma tectonic plates. Due to the collision and friction of the plates, seismic energy keeps accumulating here, which comes out from time to time in the form of earthquakes.
Scientific relationship between depth and impact
The effect of an earthquake depends on both its depth and intensity. An earthquake with a depth of 0 to 70 km can cause huge damage on the surface. An earthquake with a depth of 70 to 300 km is called medium, which causes less damage. Limited tremors are felt from earthquakes with a depth of more than 300 km. On this basis, this earthquake with a depth of 90 km as reported by the NCS was of moderate category, whereas according to the GFZ it was only 10 km deep. The impact of this shock could have been much more devastating
History of Andaman
The Andaman-Nicobar region has been witness to severe earthquakes and tsunami many times in the past. On December 26, 2004, there was an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude, which gave rise to the terrible Indian Ocean tsunami. About 2.3 lakh people died in this. Several earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6.0 were felt in 2010 and 2014.
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