A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Saturday, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC). The tremor struck at 12:31 PM with a depth of 12 kilometers, and its epicentre was located 60 kilometers northwest of Rawalpindi. So far, there have been no reports of loss of life or property. People in Srinagar, Jammu, Shopian and several other parts of Kashmir region felt the tremors. However, no casualties or damage to property has been reported in the valley, PTI reported citing an unnamed official.
Earthquake Happened In The Morning Also
Earlier in the day, two small earthquakes were recorded in the region. One was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake in Tajikistan at 12:24 IST, and the other was a magnitude 3.3 tremor in Pakistan at 11:55 IST. Pakistan lies at the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes.
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Pakistan's Geography
Pakistan is located at the meeting point of two large pieces of the Earth's crust called tectonic plates—the Eurasian Plate and the Indian Plate. The areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas are on the edge of the Eurasian Plate, while Sindh, Punjab, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are on the edge of the Indian Plate. As these two plates continue to move towards each other, the region is at high risk of strong and destructive earthquakes.