Earthquakes
- An earthquake is a violent tremor in the earth’s crust, sending out a series of shock waves in all directions from its place of origin.
- Earthquake-prone regions of the country have been identified on the basis of scientific inputs relating to seismicity, earthquakes that occurred in the past and the tectonic setup of the region.
- Based on these inputs, the Bureau of Indian Standards has grouped the country into four seismic zones: Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV and Zone V (No area of India is classified as Zone I).
Earthquake-prone Zones of India
| Seismic Zones | Level of Risk | Regions |
| Zone V | Very High | Comprises entire northeastern India, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, part of North Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| Zone IV | High | Covers remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Sikkim, northern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, parts of Gujarat and small portions of Maharashtra near the west coast and Rajasthan. |
| Zone III | Moderate | Comprises Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep Islands, remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka |
| Zone II | Low | Covers remaining parts of the country |