People woke up to a very early morning in Shimla on Friday as an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 tremors hit parts of Himachal Pradesh when an earthquake struck. It was at a magnitude of 3.2 on the Richter scale, indicating a minor-to-light quake.
Mild Earthquake Jolts Shimla Early Morning, Epicentre 10 Km Below Surface
3.2 on the Richter scale
The tremors occurred at 7:02 a.m. and lasted for a few seconds. there were no reports of loss of life or property from any part of the district.#shimla #HimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/uHDwS4bLqP
— Sidharth Shukla (@sidhshuk) October 31, 2025
According to the National Center for Seismology, the epicenter of the earthquake, or the point on the Earth’s surface directly above where the quake began, was at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers beneath the surface.
No major structural damage
A 3.2 magnitude quake is generally not strong enough to cause any major structural damage, but the sudden trembling was enough to raise concern among locals. Upon feeling the tremors, many residents reportedly rushed out in front of their houses in the early morning when people were sleeping.
Although the snippet does not explain the exact area it refers to, such incidents remind one of how vulnerable the Himalayan region is in terms of seismic activity since most of Himachal Pradesh falls under high-risk seismic zones IV and V.
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The Largest Earthquake in the Region’s History
While the recent 3.2 magnitude quake was a mild event, the history of this region is marked by one of the most devastating earthquakes ever recorded in India. The largest earthquake to significantly affect the broader Shimla region and the state of Himachal Pradesh was the 1905 Kangra Earthquake.
That is a magnitude of approximately 7.8 to 7.9 on the Richter scale for an earthquake that occurred on April 4, 1905. With the epicenter near the Kangra Valley, the sheer power of this led to extensive damage throughout Himachal Pradesh, with strong tremors being felt in Shimla and beyond.
It resulted in immense property loss and killed over 20,000 people in this region alone. The 1905 Kangra earthquake has remained a benchmark for the enormous seismic hazard the Western Himalayas are prone to.
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