A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Saturday afternoon, with its epicentre located at a depth of 10 kilometres. Tremors were felt in several parts of Pakistan.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the recent earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10km, increasing the likelihood of aftershocks.
Shallow earthquakes are typically more dangerous than deeper ones because the seismic waves travel a shorter distance to the surface, causing stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and higher casualties.
Pakistan, located on the boundary of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, is one of the most seismically active countries. The nation frequently experiences destructive earthquakes due to its position on major fault lines. Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Gilgit-Baltistan lie on the southern edge of the Eurasian plate, while Sindh, Punjab, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are on the north-western edge of the Indian plate. The collision of these plates makes the region highly susceptible to violent earthquakes.
Earlier, Pakistan’s neighbor Tajikistan was also jolted by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake.
