Moderate Earthquake Shakes Jammu & Kashmir
On Monday, February 2, 2026, a moderate earthquake measuring magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale was felt across parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the early morning. The tremor was also recorded in neighbouring areas of the wider Himalayan seismic zone. �
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🔹 Time of Occurrence: Residents reported feeling the quake in the early hours (around 2:44 AM IST), although some local reports and social media references have mentioned early morning timings close to 5:35 AM IST for shaking felt in parts of the region. �
🔹 Magnitude: 5.3 on the Richter scale, categorised as a moderate quake — strong enough to be clearly felt but not typically causing extensive damage on its own. �
🔹 Epicentre: According to official bulletins and seismological data, the quake originated deep beneath the earth’s crust with its source located in the broader Himalayan / Tajikistan seismic belt, a region known for tectonic activity due to the ongoing collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate. �
🔹 Depth: Preliminary estimates place the focus (hypocentre) over 100 km below the surface — deeper quakes of this nature tend to cause shaking over broader areas but usually result in less surface damage than shallow quakes. �
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📌 Impact:
So far, no official reports of casualties or significant structural damage have been released by authorities. �
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People in the Kashmir Valley, parts of Jammu, and surrounding districts reported feeling tremors and some momentary discomfort as buildings swayed briefly. �
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🧠Seismic Context in the Region
Jammu and Kashmir lie along the Himalayan seismic belt, one of the most tectonically active zones in the world due to the collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This makes moderate earthquakes (magnitude 4.0–6.0) relatively common, often felt widely but rarely causing catastrophic effects when depths are greater and populations are less dense. �
Historically, the region has experienced powerful events too — including deadly quakes with magnitudes above 7.0 — underscoring the importance of earthquake preparedness across northern India and its neighbouring countries.
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