An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck Leh, Ladakh, early this morning, as per a statement by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The tremor occurred at around 6.00 am at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
No immediate reports of casualties or major structural damage have been reported.
In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 5.5, On: 13/08/2026 06:05:15 IST, Lat: 36.881 N, Long: 74.402 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Leh, Ladakh."
Earthquakes can occur anywhere between the Earth's surface and about 700 kilometres below the surface. For scientific purposes, this earthquake depth range of 0-700 km is divided into three zones: shallow, intermediate, and deep, as per USGS data.
Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.
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