Rawalpindi and Islamabad are among Pakistan’s most earthquake-endangered regions.
Earthquake fault lines are fractures in the Earth’s crust where rock layers have shifted due to tectonic forces
- August 19: A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing panic but no reported damage or casualties.
- August 2: A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the twin cities.
- April 12: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake was reported with an epicenter northwest of the city.
- February 15: A magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolted the twin cities. The epicenter was about 8 km southwest of Rawalpindi, and tremors were felt in surrounding areas
Geological factors: The area sits on multiple fault lines due to the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. A 2018 study on seismic microzonation found that bedrock acceleration levels in Rawalpindi are high for various return periods.