4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Jammu and Kashmir on December 27

A 4.1 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale struck Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, December 27.

The National Center for Seismology (NCS) posted on X, stating: “EQ of M: 4.0, On: 27/12/2024 21:06:59 IST, Lat: 34.26 N, Long: 74.44 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir.”

Baramulla and surrounding towns felt the tremors around 9:06 pm on Friday. Notably, no immediate reports of damage or casualties were received. The quake occurred at a latitude of 34.26° N and longitude 74.44° E, with a depth of 10 km.

Several videos showing the impact of the recent seismic activity surfaced online.

This comes a day after tremors measuring 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Haryana’s Sonipat. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed another quake measuring 5.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale last month. The tremors occurred at a latitude of 36.49 degrees north and longitude of 71.27 degrees east, at a depth of 165 km. The epicentre of this quake was also in Afghanistan.

All to know about earthquakes

The tremors felt from shaking the Earth’s surface arising from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere are called earthquakes. These seismic waves vary in intensity. Some are so weak they cannot be felt, while others can cause destruction across entire cities.

According to Michigan Technological University, quakes of 2.5 magnitude or less are usually not felt, but can be recorded by seismographs. Quakes of 2.5 to 5.4 magnitude are often felt, but only cause minor damage. Tremors of 5.5 to 6.0 magnitude cause slight damage to buildings and other structures.

Earthquakes of 6.1 to 6.9 magnitude cause a lot of damage in populated areas. Seismic activity of 7.0 to 7.9 magnitude is regarded as a major earthquake and can cause serious damage. Meanwhile, 8.0 magnitude or greater tremors are called great earthquakes, which can totally destroy communities near the epicentre.