The 1997 Harnai earthquake occurred on February 27 at 21:08 UTC near Harnai,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and felt throughout much of central
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
, with a magnitude estimated at 7.0 on the scale. A 2016 study determined that this was a
doublet earthquake
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In seismology, doublet earthquakes – and more generally, multiplet earthquakes – were originally identified as multiple earthquakes with nearly identical waveforms originating from the same location. They are now characterized as dist ...
, the 6.8 shock that hit 19 seconds later being a continuation of the initial main shock. The largest aftershock was an 6.4 shock that hit 22 minutes after the main shock. The earthquake was caused by the collision between the
Indian plate
The Indian plate (or India plate) is or was a minor tectonic plate straddling the equator in the Eastern Hemisphere. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, the Indian plate broke away from the other fragments of Gondwana an ...
Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
, the capital of Balochistan province, suffered most of the damage. Small villages in
Sibi District
Sibi (Urdu and ; ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan province of Pakistan.Harnai alone had 75 fatalities. The total number of deaths due to the earthquakes was over 100.
See also
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List of earthquakes in 1997
This is a list of earthquakes in 1997. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage or casualties, or are notable for some other reason. All dates are listed according to UTC time. Maximum intensities are ind ...
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List of earthquakes in Pakistan
Pakistan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major faults. As a result, earthquakes in Pakistan occur often and are destructive.
Geology
Pakistan geologically overlaps both the Eurasian plate ...
2021 Balochistan earthquake
An earthquake struck Pakistan's province of Balochistan near the city of Harnai on 7 October 2021. The moment magnitude 5.9 quake struck in the early morning at 03:01 local time, killing at least 42 people and injuring 300 others. The earthquak ...