46 earthquakes in Indian territory in May, 26 in Northeast alone

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Of the 46 earthquakes that occurred in Indian territory in the month of May 2025, more than 50% occurred in the Northeast region. Significantly, the states of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in the NE region recorded 7 earthquakes each, which were the highest number of earthquakes in any state in India. Also, 5 earthquakes were recorded in Assam last month.

This was revealed in a report on Real Time Earthquake Location issued by the National Center for Seismology, under the central Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The report states that the National Center for Seismology maintains a National Seismological Network of 167 stations, each having state-of-the-art equipment and spreading all across the country. Using these stations during the period May 1-30, 2025, a total number of 157 earthquakes have been located and disseminated from the Center, out of which 150 earthquakes have occurred in India and its neighbourhood region bounded by the coordinates 0-40°N & 60-100°E.

During the period mentioned, the majority of earthquakes within India and its neighbourhood region, bounded by the coordinates 0-40°N & 60-100°E, were located in the Hindu Kush region, North India (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), and Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim).

Out of the total 157 earthquakes, 45% and 32% of earthquakes occurred in the magnitude range 3.0-3.9 and 4.0-4.9, respectively, whereas five earthquakes in the magnitude range 5.0-5.9 that occurred during the period were inside the grid of 0-40°N & 60-100°E. Six earthquakes in the magnitude range 6.0-6.9 and one earthquake of magnitude M:7.3 that occurred during the period were outside the grid of 0-40°N & 60-100°E.

A total of 46 earthquakes occurred within Indian territory, of which 7 earthquakes each occurred in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya during the period, and 6 were recorded in Manipur. Moreover, 5 earthquakes occurred in Assam and one in Sikkim.

Out of the total 46 earthquakes, 26 earthquakes occurred in the North-East region, and 7 earthquakes occurred in the Northern region. With 26 of 46 earthquakes occurring in the Northeast, the rate is more than 50% for earthquakes in the Indian territory. There was sparse activity reported in all regions except the north and northeast parts of the country during May 1 to 30, 2025.

The report specifically mentions the Manipur earthquake, where an earthquake of M:5.2 occurred at 01:54:29 IST on May 28, 2025, in Churachandpur, Manipur, at 24.46° N and 93.70° E with a focal depth of 40 km. The epicentre was approximately 46 km southwest of Imphal, 130 km northeast of Aizawl, 220 km southeast of Shillong and 290 km south of Itanagar. The area is seismically very active and associated with subduction tectonics, where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Burma microplate. The occurrence of earthquakes in the region is attributed mainly to the tectonic settings of the Indo-Burmese wedge, which consists of several mapped faults, namely the Kabaw Fault, the Kaladan Fault and the Churachandpur-Mao Fault (CMF).

Also Read: Assam revises SOP for live pig transportation; no railway ride

Also Watch: