HT Digital
GUWAHATI, Feb 18: India’s Northeast region, which falls under seismic zone V, is one of the most seismically active areas of the world. January 2025 witnessed strong seismic activity being reported where 11 seismic events were registered in this single region alone. This indicates that the region is susceptible to recurring seismic activity and monitoring and preparing for it.
According to a near-real-time seismic location report provided by the National Center for Seismology, Manipur suffered the maximum among all Northeastern states and observed the maximum earthquakes. In Manipur, there were 8 quakes detected, with only one quake occurring in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. The report shows us how there is an intensity of current activity and how necessary increased standards for safety are.
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The National Center for Seismology, the body responsible for monitoring earthquake occurrences in India, operates a National Seismological Network of 166 sophisticated stations spread across the country. Seismic activity monitoring and detection is dependent on these stations. The center detected a total of 340 earthquakes during the January 1-31, 2025 period, within the 0-40°N & 60-100°E defined region covering India and neighboring countries. Out of them, 334 earthquakes occurred on Indian territory and its surrounding region.
The largest number of this period’s earthquakes were in the Hindu Kush region, North India, and Northeast. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur were hit the hardest. The data reflects that 59% of earthquakes were between the magnitudes 3.0 and 3.9 and 30% between 4.0 and 4.9. Surprisingly, nine earthquakes had a magnitude of 5.0-5.9, two of which were beyond the 0-40°N & 60-100°E grid. Besides that, there were four additional earthquakes with a magnitude of between 6.0 and 6.9 beyond this grid, with one large earthquake that was M:7.1 occurring in the Tibet region.
Within India, ground shaking was most severe in the northeastern and northern parts. There were 30 seismic events within the nation, with the most severely hit being Manipur and Uttarakhand, whose respective states encountered a sizable quantity of quakes. North and North-East delivered 25 shakings to the country individually for the period, with less happening within central and western nations. The North and the South had zero movements reported from any region of activity during this span.
This bout of seismic activity in Northeast India brings back to our attention the vulnerability of the region to earthquakes and the importance of continued monitoring and preparedness. The data also suggests the importance of concerted action on the part of the National Center for Seismology as well as other agencies in keeping tab on seismic activities and ensuring the safety of people living in such high-risk locations.
