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Chandigarh / not felt (reported through our app)
Moderate mag. 4.4 earthquake - 3.5 km northwest of Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2021 at 1:53 pm (GMT +5) -
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Moderate magnitude 4.4 earthquake at 10 km depth
15 Dec 09:03 UTC: First to report: NCS after 10 minutes.
Update Wed, 15 Dec 2021, 09:15
Magnitude 4.4 earthquake strikes near Islamabad, Pakistan4.4 quake 15 Dec 1:53 pm (GMT +5)
A shallow magnitude 4.4 earthquake was reported around noon near Islamabad, Pakistan.
According to India's National Center for Seismology (NCS), the quake hit on Wednesday, December 15th, 2021, at 1:53 pm local time at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Islamabad (pop. 601,600) located 3 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Rawalpindi (pop. 1,743,100) located 16 km from the epicenter, Haripur (pop. 57,000) 30 km away, Khalabat (pop. 39,100) 37 km away, Havelian (pop. 40,500) 38 km away, Kahuta (pop. 22,600) 38 km away, Murree (pop. 25,200) 40 km away, Kamra (pop. 43,800) 46 km away, and Abbottabad (pop. 120,000) 49 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
According to India's National Center for Seismology (NCS), the quake hit on Wednesday, December 15th, 2021, at 1:53 pm local time at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Islamabad (pop. 601,600) located 3 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Rawalpindi (pop. 1,743,100) located 16 km from the epicenter, Haripur (pop. 57,000) 30 km away, Khalabat (pop. 39,100) 37 km away, Havelian (pop. 40,500) 38 km away, Kahuta (pop. 22,600) 38 km away, Murree (pop. 25,200) 40 km away, Kamra (pop. 43,800) 46 km away, and Abbottabad (pop. 120,000) 49 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
Earthquake data
Earthquake details
| Date & time | Dec 15, 2021 08:53:09 UTC - |
| Local time at epicenter | Wednesday, Dec 15, 2021 at 1:53 pm (GMT +5) |
| Status | Confirmed |
| Magnitude | 4.4 |
| Depth | 10.0 km |
| Epicenter latitude / longitude | 33.7387°N / 73.012°E  (Islamabad, Pakistan) |
| Antipode | 33.739°S / 106.988°W |
| Shaking intensity | Light shaking near epicenter |
| Felt | 0 reports |
| Primary data source | NCS (National Center for Seismology) |
| Nearby towns and cities | 3 km (2 mi) WNW of Islamabad (pop: 601,600) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 16 km (10 mi) NNW of Rawalpindi (Punjab) (pop: 1,743,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 30 km (18 mi) SSE of Haripur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (pop: 57,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 37 km (23 mi) SSE of Khalabat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (pop: 39,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 38 km (23 mi) SSW of Havelian (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (pop: 40,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 38 km (24 mi) WNW of Kahuta (Rawalpindi, Punjab) (pop: 22,600) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 40 km (25 mi) WSW of Murree (Punjab) (pop: 25,200) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 46 km (29 mi) W of Kamra (Punjab) (pop: 43,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 49 km (30 mi) SSW of Abbotabad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (pop: 120,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 136 km (84 mi) ESE of Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (pop: 1,218,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby |
| Weather at epicenter at time of quake | Clear Sky  13.7°C (57 F), humidity: 52%, wind: 2 m/s (4 kts) from WSW |
| Estimated seismic energy released | 2.5 x 1011 joules (69.8 megawatt hours, equivalent to 60 tons of TNT) | about seismic energy |
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Mag. | Depth | Location | Source |
| 4.4 | 10 km | 7km NNW of Islamabad, Pakistan | NCS |
User reports for this quake (1)
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
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