An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 jolted Ladakh’s Kargil early today, according to the National Center for Seismology, with tremors felt in Jammu and Kashmir. The earthquake occurred at 2.50 am at a depth of 15km. There have been no reports of any damage or casualties. Ladakh lies in the Seismic Zone-IV of the country, which means they are at a very high risk in terms of vulnerability to earthquakes.
“EQ of M: 5.2, On: 14/03/2025 02:50:05 IST, Lat: 33.37 N, Long: 76.76 E, Depth: 15 Km, Location: Kargil, Ladakh (sic),” the National Center for Seismology (NCS) confirmed in a post on the social media platform X.
Meanwhile, another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.0 struck West Kameng district in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. That quake took place around 6 am at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to a separate post by the NCS.
Ladakh lies in the Seismic Zone-IV, which means it is very highly susceptible to the occurrence of earthquakes. Lying in the tectonically-active Himalayan region makes the region even more prone to frequent tremors.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has categorised different areas of the country into four seismic zones based on their susceptibility to earthquakes. These zones are V, IV, III and II, with areas categorized as Zone V being at the highest risk and those labeled as Zone II the lowest.