February 1998 Afghanistan earthquake

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February 1998 Afghanistan earthquake
Afghanistan physical map.svg
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Rostaq
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Kabul
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UTC  time1998-02-04 14:33:23
ISC  event 1075205
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local dateFebruary 4, 1998 (1998-02-04)
Local time19:03:23
Magnitude5.9 Mw [1]
Depth30 km (19 mi) [1]
Epicenter 37°10′N70°08′E / 37.17°N 70.14°E / 37.17; 70.14 [1]
Type Strike-slip [2]
Areas affected Takhar Province, Afghanistan
Total damageExtreme [3]
Max. intensity VII (Very strong) [4]
Casualties2,323–4,000 dead [5] [6]
818 injured [5]

The February 1998 Afghanistan earthquake occurred at 19:03 local time near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. The strike-slip shock had a moment magnitude of 5.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). With several thousand dead and hundreds injured, the event's effects were considered extreme by the National Geophysical Data Center. It was felt at Tashkent and Dushanbe, [4] and aftershocks continued for the next seven days.

Contents

Cause

Afghanistan is situated on a major plate boundary. [7] The location of the country is on the boundary where two tectonic plates, the Iranian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, meet. [8] To the south of Afghanistan, the Indian Plate moves northwards and to the north the Eurasian Plate moves south-eastwards. [7] The collision resulting from the movement of the plates has been under way for 50 million years. [7] Due to this, Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes. [7] Both the Iranian Plate and the Eurasian Plate consist of continental crust, which can neither sink nor be destroyed. [8] As a result, the rocks between the two plates are forced upwards to form mountains. [8] The constant movement of the Iranian Plate results in an increase in pressure. [8] The earthquake on February 4, 1998 was caused by this increase in pressure. [8]

Casualties and damage

A death toll of at least 2,323 was reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). [5] A spokesman for the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, which controlled certain area, told the Afghan Islamic Press that they removed more than 3,500 bodies. [6] According to the estimates by the Taliban government in Kabul, which ruled the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at that time, 3,230 people died in the earthquake. [6] Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) later put the death toll at 4,000. [6] The anti-Taliban Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe asserted that approximately 15,000 people became homeless [6] [9] and dozens of villages were destroyed. [6] Nearly 15,000 houses were destroyed primarily due to the landslides. [7] Approximately 818 people were injured and 6,725 livestock were killed. [4]

Relief efforts

As the Takhar Province was a remote area [8] [6] and road transport and telecommunication was poor, [8] it took three days for the news to reach Kabul. [8] On February 7, reports began to reach the capital city, [8] but relief work was hampered and delayed because of bad weather like fog, low cloud and snowfalls, blocked mountain tracks (due to snowfall and landslide) and the civil war. [8] [9] Reports indicated that survivors were living without shelter in subzero temperature and many were starving. [8] Several villagers were making their way down the mountain tracks along with their herds of goats. [8]

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement sent a team from Dushanbe to the affected region for relief efforts. [6] The first international relief team reached the affected area on February 7 [6] and the first United Nations (UN) team arrived there on February 10. [10] A convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reached the site on February 14 with 4,800 blankets, 800 quilts, 10 rolls of plastic sheeting and approximately 200 tents. [10] Eleven days after the event, on February 16, helicopters were able to drop supplies to three isolated villages. [8] The European Union (EU) offered £1.3m of relief aid including blankets, medical equipment, water and tents. [6] The Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan offered 100 tonnes each of rice and wheat, and approximately £40,000 to the affected region. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The following lists events that happened during 2000 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Kashmir earthquake</span> Earthquake in South Asia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes</span> Earthquakes in northern Afghanistan

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The 2003 Boumerdès earthquake occurred on May 21 at 19:44:21 local time in northern Algeria. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The epicentre of the earthquake was located near the town of Thénia in Boumerdès Province, approximately 60 km east of the capital Algiers. The quake was the strongest to hit Algeria in more than twenty years – since 1980, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake resulted in at least 2,633 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Enggano earthquake</span> Earthquake affecting Indonesia

The 2000 Enggano earthquake struck at 23:28 local time on June 4, 2000 with a moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The event occurred off the coast of southern Sumatra, Indonesia near Enggano Island. There were more than 100 fatalities and up to 2,585 injuries. Over 730 aftershocks shook the area afterwards, one just eleven minutes after the mainshock.

On 13 March 1992, a moment magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck eastern Turkey. It had a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) and occurred along the North Anatolian Fault. At least 498 people died, roughly 2,000 were injured, and an unknown number of people went missing. Total financial losses were between $13.5 million and $750 million.

The 1995 Colima–Jalisco earthquake occurred on October 9 at 15:35 UTC with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The shock occurred off the coast of Jalisco, Mexico, where a tsunami was triggered that affected a 200 km (120 mi) stretch of the coast. The earthquake could be felt in Mexico City and in high-rise buildings in Dallas and Houston. In Mexico, the Cihuatlan-Manzanillo was the most severely affected area. At least 49 people died and 100 were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Dalbandin earthquake</span> Earthquake in Pakistan

The 2011 Dalbandin earthquake occurred on 18 January at 01:23 a.m. local time with a moment magnitude of Mw 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. The shock occurred in a sparsely populated area of Balochistan, caused moderate damage, three deaths, and some injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Afghanistan earthquakes</span> Earthquakes in Afghanistan in 2012

On 11 June 2012, two moderate earthquakes struck northern Afghanistan, causing a large landslide. The landslide buried the town of Sayi Hazara, trapping 71 people. After four days of digging, only five bodies were recovered and the search was called off. Overall, 75 people were killed and 13 others were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake</span> Earthquake in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India

The October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck South Asia on 26 October 2015, at 13:39 AFT with the epicenter 45 km north of Kuran wa Munjan, Afghanistan, at a depth of 231.0 km.

The 1983 Hindu Kush earthquake occurred south of Fayzabad, Badakhshan in northeast Afghanistan at 03:52 PST on December 31, 1983, near the border with Pakistan and the USSR. Striking 214.5 km beneath the Hindu Kush mountains, the moment magnitude 7.4 quake affected three countries, killing at least 26 people and injuring several hundred.

Events in the year 2022 in Afghanistan.

The 1991 Hindu Kush earthquake occurred northeast of Kabul, Afghanistan on February 1, 1991. It was an intermediate-depth earthquake with a hypocenter 142.4 km beneath the Hindu Kush mountains. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, and affected neighbouring Pakistan and the USSR. At least 848 people were killed in both countries and damage was estimated at $26 million USD.

The 1980 Nepal earthquake devastated the Nepal–India border region on the evening of July 29. The epicenter of the 6.6 Mw earthquake was located in Nepal, northwest of Khaptad National Park. At least 200 people died and 5,600 were injured in the disaster. Extensive damage occurred on both sides of the border, amounting to 245 million USD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake</span> Earthquake in Afghanistan and Pakistan

A 4.0-kilometre (2.5 mi) deep earthquake measuring magnitude (Mw ) 6.2 struck southeastern Afghanistan on 22 June 2022 at 01:24:36 AFT. The earthquake had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). There were 1,052–1,163 deaths and 1,627–2,976 injured in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The worst affected provinces in Afghanistan were Paktika, Paktia, Khost and Nangarhar. Casualties and damage also occurred in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 10,000 homes collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake's shallow hypocenter, proximity to populated areas and low building quality contributed to its destructive effects. Shaking was felt over 500 km (310 mi) away by at least 119 million people, including Pakistan's Punjab and parts of India and Iran.

Events in the year 2023 in Afghanistan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 ISC (2016), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2012), Version 3.0, International Seismological Centre , retrieved October 8, 2023
  2. ↑ USGS (September 4, 2009), PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey , retrieved October 8, 2023
  3. ↑ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) (1972), Significant Earthquake Database (Data Set), National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
  4. 1 2 3 USGS. "M5.9 – Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "USGS earthquake bulletin: Hindu Kush Region, Afghanistan (revised) – Afghanistan". Relief Web. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. March 25, 2002. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1998: 4,000 feared dead in Afghan earthquake BBC News accessed 8 October 2023
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Peter Webber; Neil Punnett (1999). Physical Geography and People. Nelson Thornes. p. 14. ISBN   978-0-7487-4303-2.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Neil Punnett; Alison Rae; David Wood; Peter Richardson; John Edwards (2003). The New Wider World. Nelson Thornes. p. 272. ISBN   978-0-7487-7376-3.
  9. 1 2 Ahmed Rashid (2002). Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia. I.B.Tauris. p. 230. ISBN   978-1-86064-830-4.
  10. 1 2 Afghanistan – Earthquake OCHA Situation Report No. 7 ReliefWeb accessed 8 October 2023
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