A minor earthquake that measured 3.9 shook Himachal Pradesh as well with the epicentre located in the Kangra district. The sensation of the vibration took place late at 9:28 pm.
The earthquake was deep; that is, it emanated at a depth of 10.00 km and its epicentre was measured at 32.23 N and 76.38 E. As mentioned in the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake happened at shallow depths of 10 kilometers.
EQ of M: 3.9, On: 18/08/2025 21:28:36 IST, Lat: 32.23 N, Long: 76.38 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Kangra, Himachal Pradesh.
For more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/5gCOtjcVGs @DrJitendraSingh @OfficeOfDrJS @Ravi_MoES @Dr_Mishra1966 @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/CUd026ek9m— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) August 18, 2025
Although the shaking created some time of panic among the residents particularly in places such as Dharamshala and its environs, nothing has been reported as affecting properties or loss of life. It can be seen as a wake-up call to the importance of increased seismic psyche as the region is a part of the geologically active Himalayas belt.
Seismic Vulnerability and Himalayan Geodynamics
This is because Himalayan mountains range and consequently, Himachal Pradesh is a very seismologically active area since the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates continue to collide. The constant geologic pressure consistently accumulates the stress along the fault line which is released resulting in the occurrence of the earthquakes. Of the districts particularly the Kangra district is in seismic zone V which has been considered as a very high-risk zone of damages by the bureau of Indian standards (BIS).
The regions have witnessed severe earthquakes in the past with the most disastrous being the 7.8 magnitude Kangra earthquake in 1905 that left a terrible mess behind.
The Importance of Earthquake Preparedness
Although the recent quake (3.9 magnitude) was comparatively mild and harmless, it brings out the necessity of earthquake preparedness in the area. The state government as well as other disaster management organizations run a lot of mock drills and awareness creation on safety policies on a continual basis to teach residents on safety.
These entail easy but very essential Behaviors like the Drop, Cover and Hold on in case of a tremor, emergency preparations, as well as the observation of strict seismo-resistant building codes during constructions of new buildings. In this shaky mountainous state, already damaged by the present monsoon season in the form of landslides and flooding, a strong disaster management plan is further called to be put in place.
Also Read: Red Alert Issued For Mumbai As Some Parts Record More Than 200 MM Rainfall On August 16
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