An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale shook Lahore and several other cities in Punjab on Tuesday, sending tremors through the provincial capital and surrounding areas. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the quake struck at a depth of 12 kilometers. Fortunately, no damage or loss of life has been reported so far.

Tremors were also felt in Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura, Muridke, and Kamoke, prompting brief concern among residents. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in Pakistan, which sits atop the active boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The ongoing collision of these plates makes much of South Asia, including Pakistan, seismically active.

Recently, Karachi has also been in the spotlight for seismic activity, with residents experiencing around 49 mild tremors last month. Chief Meteorologist Ameer Hyder Leghari attributed Karachi’s recent quakes to the reactivation of the Landhi Fault Line, which is currently undergoing a normalization phase after decades of dormancy.

Earlier this year, a series of moderate earthquakes rattled various regions across the country. In May, a 5.3-magnitude quake struck Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including Mardan, Swat, Nowshera, Swabi, and North Waziristan, with its epicenter in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 230 kilometers.

April also saw significant seismic activity, with a 5.5-magnitude earthquake hitting northern Punjab, KP, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on April 12. Cities such as Attock, Chakwal, Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, and Shabqadar all reported tremors. Just days later, on April 16, another 5.3-magnitude quake was felt across KP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.