A magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted parts of the northern areas on Tuesday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Television reports claimed tremors were felt in Haripur, Islamabad, Peshawar, Mansehra, Dir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Shangla. No casualties were reported.

The quake originated 48km east-northeast of Shughnon, Tajikistan and had a depth of 133.8km, the USGS said.

Pakistan is located in the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone, which is roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin.

This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults.

Along the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the vicinity of south-eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the South Asian plate translates obliquely relative to the Eurasia plate, resulting in a complex fold-and-thrust belt known as the Sulaiman Range.

Faulting in this region includes strike-slip, reverse-slip and oblique-slip motion and often results in shallow, destructive earthquakes.