Unusual Seismic Activity: Series of Earthquakes Strike Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh

Kashmir Valley lies between Pir Panjal & Zaskar thrusts, making it very vulnerable to earthquakes 

Jahangir Sofi | In an unusual turn of events, five earthquakes were reported on Monday in the regions of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, leaving residents shaken, officials said.

The seismic activity, spanning a short period, raised concerns among locals, however, as per the officials, there was no report of loss of life or damage to any property.

Soon after the first earthquake,, four more earthquakes, ranging in magnitudes from 5.5 to 3.6, were recorded in various parts of both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. Reports indicate that the epicenters were scattered across the region.

As per National Center for Seismology, which monitors earthquake activity in India- the first earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter Scale hit J&K and Ladakh at around 3.48 PM.

The earthquake was located at latitude of 33.41 and longitude 76.70. Its centre was located 10 kilometres beneath the ground in Kargil region of union territory of Ladakh.

Shortly after, another seismic disturbance measuring of magnitude 3.8 on the Richter scale hit the region with its epicentre in Kargil again. The epicentre was at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Around the same time there was a third earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter Scale with the epicentres in Kishtwar region of J&K. The fourth earthquake with the epicentre in Kishtwar and magnitude 3.6 on the Richter Scale hit J&K at around 4.18 pm.

National Center for Seismology (NCS) on their official twitter handle wrote, “Earthquake of Magnitude:3.6, Occurred on 18-12-2023, 16:18:08 IST, Lat: 33.37 & Long: 76.57, Depth: 10 Km ,Region: Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir”.

As per the weather officials in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh fifth earthquake of 3.4 magnitude with epicenter at Kargil rocked the Union territories at 4.44 PM with it’s coordinates at 33.38°, 76.62°, and at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh and Leh, have been witnessing a series of tremors of varied intensities over the past few months, including a powerful earthquake on 13 June 2023 that rattled across J&K, causing fear and panic among the people.

2005 Tremor Horror

According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the 2005 disastrous earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005, in the Pakistan-administered portion of the Kashmir region caused the death of at least 79,000 people, in which also more than 32,000 buildings collapsed in Kashmir.

Ground Report earlier reported that the additional destruction and fatalities were also reported in different parts of India and Afghanistan, making it one of the most destructive and deadliest earthquakes in South Asia.

At least 1,350 people were killed and 6,266 injured in Jammu and Kashmir, and the tremors were felt at a distance of up to 620 miles (1,000 km), as far away as Delhi and Punjab in northern India. Four fatalities and 14 injured survivors were reported in Afghanistan.

According to a 2013 research study, Jammu and Kashmir has been a region of major seismic activity. Some of the largest earthquakes in India have occurred in this zone.

The study reveals that several seismic zones have been tentatively identified on the seismicity map, with the location of most of the earthquake epicenters lying north of the Main Central Thrust and Main Boundary Thrust, which shows that the movement is continued in this region and the build-up of stress was continuously reduced/released.

“From the catalog, it is seen that most of the earthquakes occur in the Kupwara and Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, which are looking more seismically prone areas. The earthquakes continuously strike the Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir w.e.f. 31-04-2013 to 18-08-2013 around SNF (Sunder Nagar Fault) circumscribing Kishtwar window, and it appears like that the earthquake in Kishtwar is the result of Sunder Nagar Fault, which is getting active,” states a study.

According to a draft document with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which states that the ‘State’ has suffered heavily on account of natural disasters, it says that its vulnerabilities are still increasing.

The draft states that the Kashmir Valley lies between the Pir Panjal and the Zaskar thrusts, making it very vulnerable to earthquakes. Other northern parts of Jammu & Kashmir are heavily faulted.