This is a list of earthquakes in Afghanistan. Fairly moderate earthquakes have been very destructive in the country, particularly in the years 1998, 2002 and 2023. This can be blamed on the population residing in mostly informal and adobe houses, which are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking. [1]
Afghanistan is situated near the southern extent of the Eurasian Plate. [2]
Date | Place | Lat | Lon | Deaths | Injuries | Mag. | MMI | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023-10-07 | Herat | 34.610 | 61.924 | 1,480 | 2,400 | 6.3 Mw | VIII | Four earthquakes and aftershocks/Extreme damage. | [3] |
2023-03-21 | Badakhshan | 36.523 | 70.979 | 21 | 424 | 6.5 Mw | V | Moderate damage, 21 deaths including 10 in Pakistan. | [4] |
2022-09-06 | Badakhshan | 36.649 | 70.629 | 6 | 9 | 4.8 Mw | III | Further damage | [5] |
2022-09-04 | Kunar | 34.662 | 70.701 | 18 | 42 | 5.1 Mw | VII | Moderate damage | [6] |
2022-07-18 | Khost | 33.108 | 69.470 | 44 | 5.1 Mw | V | Additional damage / aftershock | [7] | |
2022-06-24 | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan | 33.017 | 69.538 | 5 | 11 | 4.2 Mw | VII | All deaths in Afghanistan / aftershock | [8] |
2022-06-21 | Khost | 33.092 | 69.514 | 1,163 | 2,976 | 6.0 Mw | VIII | Extreme damage/landslides | [9] |
2022-05-24 | Hindu Kush | 36.118 | 70.293 | 2 | 1 | 4.9 Mw | VI | Minor damage | [10] |
2022-02-05 | Hindu Kush | 36.445 | 71.117 | 3 | 5.8 Mw | IV | [11] | ||
2022-01-17 | Badghis | 34.946 | 63.580 | 30 | 49 | 5.3 Mw | VI | [12] | |
2018-01-31 | Hindu Kush | 36.54 | 70.82 | 2 | 22 | 6.1 Mw | IV | ||
2016-04-10 | Ishkashim | 6 | 28 | 6.6 Mw | V | ||||
2015-10-26 | Hindu Kush | 36.52 | 70.37 | 399 | 2,536 | 7.5 Mw | VII | ||
2013-04-24 | Jalalabad-Mehtar Lam | 34.53 | 70.22 | 18 | 130 | 5.6 Mw | V | [13] | |
2012-06-11 | Baghlan | 36.05 | 69.30 | 75 | - | 5.4, 5.7 | V | Doublet | [14] |
2010-04-18 | Samangan | 35.71 | 67.68 | 11 | - | 5.6 | VI | [15] | |
2009-10-22 | Hindu Kush | 36.52 | 70.95 | 5 | - | 6.2 | V | [16] | |
2009-04-16 | Near Kabul | 34.19 | 70.08 | 19 | 51 | 5.2 Mw | VI | Doublet | |
2005-12-12 | Hindu Kush | 36.28 | 71.11 | 5 | 1 | 6.5 Mw | V | ||
2002-03-25 | Hindu Kush | 35.93 | 69.19 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 6.1 Mw | VII | ||
2002-03-03 | Hindu Kush | 36.5 | 70.48 | 166 | Some | 7.4 Mw | VI | ||
1999-02-11 | Kabul | 34.3 | 69.36 | 70 | 500 | 6.0 Mw | VI | [17] | |
1998-05-30 | Takhar | 37.17 | 70.09 | 4,000–4,500 | 10,001 | 6.5 Mw | VI | ||
1998-02-04 | Takhar | 37.17 | 70.14 | 2,323 | 818 | 5.9 Mw | VI | ||
1991-04-20 | Badakhshan | 36.416 | 70.912 | 4.1 Mw | III | 100 houses damaged | [18] | ||
1991-04-08 | Badakhshan | 37.457 | 68.273 | 1 | 6 | 5.5 Mw | VII | Moderate damage | [19] |
1991-01-31 | Hindu Kush | 35.99 | 70.42 | 848 | 200 | 6.9 Mw | VII | Extreme damage | [20] |
1990-07-13 | Hindu Kush | 36.415 | 70.789 | 43 | 2 | 6.4 Mw | IV | Deaths due to avalanche in Tajikistan. | [21] |
1985-07-29 | Hindu Kush | 36.190 | 70.896 | 5 | 38 | 7.4 Mw | VIII | Severe damage in Pakistan and Tajikistan as well. | [22] |
1984-02-16 | Hindu Kush | 36.431 | 70.826 | 4 | 13 | 6.4 Mw | IV | Severe damage | [23] |
1984-02-01 | Nangarhar | 34.616 | 70.484 | 1 | 35 | 6.1 | VII | Minor damage | [24] |
1983-12-31 | Hindu Kush | 36.37 | 70.34 | 12–26 | 60–483 | 7.2 Mb | VII | Severe damage | [25] |
1982-12-16 | Baghlan | 36.148 | 69.011 | 450 | Many | 6.6 Ms | VI | Severe damage | [26] |
1981-06-13 | Samangan | 36.176 | 67.827 | 1 | 2 | 5.5 Mw | VI | [27] | |
1918-11-15 | Hindu Kush | 36.202 | 70.711 | 7.8 Mw | V | [28] | |||
1842-02-19 | Jalalabad | 34.4 | 70.5 | 500 | Severe damage | [29] | |||
818-05-15 | Hindu Kush | 36.8 | 66.2 | Many | 7.5 Ms | VIII | Severe damage | [30] | |
Note: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. |
Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. They range from events too weak to be detectable except by sensitive instrumentation, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Below, earthquakes are listed by period, region or country, year, magnitude, cost, fatalities and number of scientific studies.
The 2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes struck in northern Afghanistan during the month of March. At least 166 people were killed with a very large and intermediate-depth mainshock on March 3. Three weeks later, at least 1,200 were killed during a moderate but shallow event that had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. The M7.4 and M6.1 reverse events were focused in the Hindu Kush mountain range area.
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.
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.
On 21 March 2023, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, with an intermediate depth of approximately 187 km (116 mi). The epicenter of the earthquake was 40 km (25 mi) south-southeast of Jurm.
Sources