Four earthquakes jolt Jammu and Kashmir in 12 hours, Doda-Kishtwar belt epicentre

Srinagar: Four earthquakes struck Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, within about 12 hours, with their epicentres located in the Doda-Kishtwar belt, officials said.

According to data released by disaster management authorities, the latest tremor occurred at 1.09 p.m. in the Doda region. It measured 2.9 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 10 km.

The third earthquake was recorded at 8.48 a.m., measuring 3.8 in magnitude, with its focus at a depth of 5 km. The second tremor occurred at 8.31 a.m. and measured 2.7, with a depth of 10 km. The first earthquake, measuring 3.3, was recorded at 2.38 a.m. at a depth of 15 km.

No loss of life or damage to property had been reported from anywhere in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The series of tremors has drawn attention to the region's vulnerability to earthquakes. From Srinagar to Doda and Kishtwar, and from Kupwara to Poonch, recurring seismic activity has kept residents alert in a region regarded as one of the world's most seismically active areas.

Scientists attribute this vulnerability to the geological setting of the Himalayas. Jammu and Kashmir lies along the collision boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Indian plate continues to move northwards at nearly five centimetres a year, pushing against the Eurasian plate. The pressure built up by this movement is periodically released through earthquakes.

Large parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh fall under Seismic Zones IV and V in India's seismic zoning map. Zone V is the country's highest earthquake hazard category. The Kashmir Valley, the Chenab Valley, and parts of Ladakh include areas classified in this category.

Seismologists say the Kashmir Himalaya is vulnerable because of its active tectonic setting, major fault systems, and expanding urban settlements. These include the Main Boundary Thrust, the Main Central Thrust, and several local faults, along which stress continues to build beneath the Earth's surface.

Experts have stressed the need for preparedness, public awareness and strict compliance with earthquake-resistant building codes to limit casualties and damage during a major seismic event.

The memory of the devastating October 8, 2005, earthquake remains fresh in the region. The magnitude 7.6 quake, whose epicentre was near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killed more than 80,000 people across the affected region and caused extensive destruction in Uri, Tangdhar and other border areas of north Kashmir. Entire villages were flattened, while thousands were left homeless.

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