5.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Ladakh’s Leh

August 13, 2026

Leh (Ladakh): An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck Leh, Ladakh, early Thursday morning, as per a statement by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).

The tremor occurred at around 6 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.