A magnitude 4 earthquake shook Quetta, Ziarat, and adjacent areas in Balochistan on Saturday, as confirmed by the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC). The NSMC, which operates under the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), identified the quake’s epicenter approximately 37 kilometers northeast of Quetta.
The seismic event occurred at a depth of 15 kilometers and registered a magnitude of 4. Immediate reports indicated no casualties or structural damage resulting from the tremor.
In a significant development last month, a stronger 5.4 magnitude earthquake affected large parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Punjab. The NSMC traced that quake’s origin to Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range, occurring at a depth of 215 kilometers. The tremors were widely felt across multiple districts including Peshawar, Swat, Buner, Hangu, Shangla, Kohat, Mohmand, Charsadda, Swabi, Mansehra, and Abbottabad, as well as in Punjab, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. Fortunately, no casualties were reported from that incident either.
Pakistan’s geographic position along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates makes it highly susceptible to frequent seismic activity. The country has endured several devastating earthquakes over recent decades, underscoring the ongoing risk posed by its tectonic setting.
