Srinagar, October 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A light earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale jolted the Kashmir Valley on Monday evening, with tremors felt in parts of the region.
According to data from the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at 6.44 p.m. The epicentre was located 28 km southeast of Srinagar at latitude 33.89 degrees north and longitude 74.99 degrees east, in Pulwama district.
The earthquake originated at a shallow depth of 5 km below the Earth’s surface. Officials said no loss of life or damage to property had been reported from anywhere in the Valley so far.
The shallow depth meant that tremors could be felt despite the relatively low magnitude of the earthquake.
The Kashmir Valley falls under Seismic Zone V, the highest earthquake-risk category in the Bureau of Indian Standards’ seismic zoning classification. The region lies in the northwestern Himalayas, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge.
The region is intersected by several active fault systems, including the Himalayan Frontal Thrust, Main Boundary Thrust, Main Central Thrust, and the Balapur and Kishtwar fault systems.
Seismologists have described the Valley as a seismic gap where tectonic stress and strain have accumulated over long periods, raising concerns about the potential for a major earthquake.
The region has witnessed destructive earthquakes in the past, including major events recorded in 1555, 1669, 1779, 1885 and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
The risk is further heightened in parts of Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara, where thick, soft and water-saturated basin sediments and shallow groundwater tables can contribute to soil liquefaction during intense shaking.
More than 98 per cent of buildings in urban centres such as Srinagar are non-engineered masonry structures with limited seismic resistance. Traditional construction systems such as ‘Taq’ and ‘Dhajji Dewari’, which used timber to provide greater flexibility, have increasingly been replaced by heavier concrete-and-brick structures.
Rapid and largely unregulated urban expansion in several vulnerable areas has added to the Valley’s overall seismic risk.
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