Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Strikes Carlsberg Ridge At 10km Depth

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck the Carlsberg Ridge at a shallow depth of 10 km on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported. Shallow quakes often trigger stronger ground shaking and higher risk of damage.

Carlsberg Ridge: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 occurred in the Carlsberg Ridge on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said in a statement.  As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. 

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.8, On: 17/08/2025 05:54:11 IST, Lat: 4.36 N, Long: 62.76 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Carlsberg Ridge."

Shallow Earthquakes Pose Higher Risk Of Damage

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties. 

The Carlsberg Ridge is the northern section of the Central Indian Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary between the African plate and the Indo-Australian plate, traversing the western regions of the Indian Ocean. 

The ridge, of which the Carlsberg Ridge is a part, extends northward from a triple point junction near the island of Rodrigues (the Rodrigues Triple Point) to a junction with the Owen fracture zone. The ridge started its northwards propagation in the late Maastrichtian and reached the incipient Arabian Sea in the Eocene. Then it continued to accrete basalt but did not propagate for nearly 30 Ma. Then, in the early Miocene, it started to propagate westwards towards the Afar hot spot, opening the Gulf of Aden. 

Seismic Activity And Past Major Earthquakes

The Carlsberg Ridge is seismically active, with a major earthquake being recorded by the United States Geological Survey at 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale on July 15, 2003.

The July 15, 2003, M 7.6 earthquake on the Carlsberg Ridge occurred as a result of shallow transform faulting within a mid-ocean ridge system, located in the Arabian Sea between India and Northern Africa. The ridge marks the boundary between the India and Nubia (Africa) plates.