List of earthquakes in Pakistan

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Earthquakes in Pakistan
Sesimic hazard zones of-Pakistan.png
Earthquake zones of Pakistan.
(<6.0 in green, 6.0–6.9 in blue, 7.0–7.9 in orange, 8.0+ in red)
Largest8.1 Mw 1945 Balochistan earthquake
Deadliest7.6 Mw 2005 Kashmir earthquake

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.

Contents

Geology

Pakistan geologically overlaps both the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Balochistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces lie on the southern edge of the Eurasian plate on the Iranian Plateau. Sindh, Punjab and Azad Jammu & Kashmir provinces lie on the north-western edge of the Indian plate in South Asia. Hence this region is prone to violent earthquakes, as the two tectonic plates collide.

Earthquakes

DateLocality, district, or province Mag. MMI DeathsInjuriesNotes
2023-03-21 Badakhshan, Afghanistan6.5 Mw V20302Severe damage, ten killed in Afghanistan. Damage to buildings also in India and Tajikistan –
2022-06-24 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4.2 Mw VIIFive killed in Afghanistan [1] [2]
2022-06-21 Khost Province, Afghanistan6.0 Mw VIII1327Heavy damage. Over 1,100 killed in Afghanistan. [3]
2022-05-06 Khuzdar, Balochistan 5.2 Mw VI1Moderate damage [4]
2022-03-16 Gilgit-Baltistan 5.1 Mw VII19Minor damage [5]
2021-12-27 Gilgit-Baltistan 5.2 Mw V9Severe damage [6]
2021-10-07 Harnai, Balochistan 5.9 MwVII42300Severe damage [7]
2019-10-06 New Mirpur, Azad Kashmir 3.6 MwIV110Casualties due to a house collapse [8] [9]
2019-09-24 New Mirpur, Azad Kashmir 5.6 MwVII40852Severe [10]
2018-01-31 Lasbela, Balochistan 4.7 MwV19 [11] [12]
2018-01-30 Badakhshan 6.1 Mw19-11
2015-12-25 Gilgit-Baltistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 		6.3 MwV4100
2015-10-26 Badakhshan 7.5 MwVII3992,536
2015-07-24 Islamabad 5.1 MwV3
2014-05-08 Sindh 4.5 Mw250
2013-09-28 Awaran District, Balochistan 6.8 MwVII22Aftershock.
2013-09-24 Awaran District, Balochistan 7.7 MwIX825700
2013-04-16 Balochistan 7.7 MwVIII34105
2011-01-18 Dalbandin, Balochistan 7.2 MwVII3some
2010-10-10 Haripur, Northwest Frontier Province 5.2 Mw V115Moderate damage [13]
2008-10-29 Ziarat District, Balochistan 6.4 Mw215200
2005-10-08 Azad Kashmir, Balakot 7.6 MwXI86,000–87,35169,000–75,266Extreme damage in Azad Kashmir, Balakot town almost completely destroyed and Muzaffarabad suffering heaviest number of casualties. Deadliest earthquake in South Asia, epicentre centred on the Jhelum Fault Zone.
2004-02-14 Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 5.5 MwVIII2463
2002-11-02 Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 5.4 Mw 6.3 MwVIII41168Doublet
1997-02-27 Balochistan 7.0 MwVIII57
1992-05-20 Kohat Division, North West Frontier 6.0 MwVII36100Moderate [14] [15]
1983-12-31 Gilgit-Baltistan 7.2 MwVII12–2660–483Severe [14]
1981-12-09 Gilgit-Baltistan 5.9 Mw220 [16]
1974-12-28 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 6.2 Mw5,30017,000
1972-09-03 Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 6.2 MwVIII100 [17]
1945-11-28 Makran Coast, British Baluchistan 8.1 MwX4000Tsunami
1935-05-31 Ali Jaan, Balochistan 7.7X30,000–60,000
1931-08-27Mach, Balochistan 7.4 [18]
1931-08-24Sharigh Valley, Balochistan 7 [18]
1909-10-21 Sibi, Balochistan 7100 [18]
1892-12-20 Qilla Abdullah, Balochistan 6.8 Chaman Fault [19]
1885-05-30 Srinagar, Kashmir 6.3–6.8VIII3,000
1865-01-22 Peshawar 6 [19]
1852-01-24 Kahan, Balochistan 8 [20]
1827-09-24 Lahore, Punjab 7.81,000 [20]
1819-06-16 Allahbund, Sindh7.7–8.2 MwXI>1,543Tsunami
1668-05-02Shahbandar, Sindh7.650,000 [21]
1555-09-?? Kashmir7.6–8.0 Mw 600–60,000
The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described are also applicable to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded.

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1945 Balochistan earthquake occurred in British India at 1:26 PKT on 28 November 1945 with a moment magnitude of 8.1 and a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Ziarat earthquakes</span> Earthquake in Balochistan, Pakistan

The 2008 Ziarat earthquakes hit the Pakistani province of Balochistan on October 29 with a moment magnitude of 6.4. The US Geological Survey reported that the first earthquake occurred 60 km (37 mi) north of Quetta and 185 km (115 mi) southeast of the Afghanistan city of Kandahar at 04:09 local time at a depth of 15 km (9.3 mi), at 30.653°N, 67.323°E. It was followed by another shallower magnitude 6.4 earthquake at a depth of 14 km (8.7 mi) approximately 12 hours after the initial shock, at 30.546°N, 67.447°E. 215 people were confirmed dead. More than 200 were injured, and 120,000 were rendered homeless. Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, director general of Pakistan Meteorological Department, stated the quake epicenter was 70 miles (110 km) north of Quetta, and about 600 km (370 mi) southwest of Islamabad.

The Chaman Fault is a major, active geological fault in Pakistan and Afghanistan that runs for over 850 km. Tectonically, it is actually a system of related geologic faults that separates the Eurasian plate from the Indo-Australian plate. It is a terrestrial, primarily transform, left-lateral strike-slip fault. The slippage rate along the Chaman fault system as the Indo-Australian plate moves northward has been estimated at 10 mm/yr or more. In addition to its primary transform aspect, the Chaman fault system has a compressional component as the Indian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate. This type of plate boundary is sometimes called a transpressional boundary.

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in Afghanistan on October 22, 2009, at 19:51:27 UTC. The maximum Mercalli intensity was V (Moderate) at Fayzabad, Badakhshan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Ierissos earthquake</span> Severe earthquake on Chalkidiki peninsula, Greece

The 1932 Ierissos earthquake occurred at 19:20 on 26 September. It caused severe damage in Ierissos, Greece and the surrounding part of the Chalkidiki peninsula, with 161–491 casualties reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep-focus earthquake</span>

A deep-focus earthquake in seismology is an earthquake with a hypocenter depth exceeding 300 km. They occur almost exclusively at convergent boundaries in association with subducted oceanic lithosphere. They occur along a dipping tabular zone beneath the subduction zone known as the Wadati–Benioff zone.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenin Peak disaster</span> 1990 earthquake and subsequent avalanche in Tajikistan

The Lenin Peak disaster occurred on 13 July 1990 when 43 climbers were killed during an avalanche on the 7,134-meter-high mountain peak in northeast Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The deadly avalanche was triggered by a moment magnitude scale 6.4 earthquake which struck at a depth of 216.8 km beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in neighbouring Afghanistan. The incident is believed to be the deadliest mountaineering disaster in history.

The 1992 Kohat earthquake struck Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan on May 20. The Mw  6.3 earthquake inflicted significant damage in the nearby city Kohat. An estimated 36 people died and 100 were injured in the Peshawar and Kohat districts. Four-hundred (400) homes were wiped out, affecting 2,100 residents in the region.

The 1979 Saint Elias earthquake affected Alaska at 12:27 AKST on 28 February. The thrust-faulting Mw 7.5 earthquake had an epicenter in the Granite Mountains. Though the maximum recorded Modified Mercalli intensity was VII, damage was minimal and there were no casualties due to the remoteness of the faulting. Damage also extended across the border in parts of Yukon, Canada.

References

  1. ↑ "M 4.3 – 49 km W of Miran Shah, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Afghanistan hit with aftershock, adding to significant earthquake death toll". CBC News. Associated Press. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Hussain, Sajjad (23 June 2022). "Afghanistan earthquake kills 30 Pakistani tribal people". The Telegraph. India. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "M 5.2 – 79 km N of Bela, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "M 5.1 – 68 km NW of Skardu, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "M 5.2 – 60 km SE of Gilgit, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey.
  7. ↑ "M 4.6 – 9 km ESE of Harnai, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "M 3.6 – 4 km SW of Jhelum, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Earthquake tremors felt again in POK, one dead, 10 injured". newstracklive. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "M 5.6 – 3 km S of New Mirpur, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "M 4.7 – 11 km NW of Bela, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Tote nach Erdbeben im Süden von Pakistan" (in German). 31 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "M 5.2 – 14 km SSW of Haripur, Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 NGDC 1972
  15. ↑ Satyabala, S. P.; Yang, Zhaohui; Bilham, R. (2012), "Stick–slip advance of the Kohat Plateau in Pakistan", Nature Geoscience, 5 (2): 147–150, Bibcode:2012NatGe...5..147S, doi:10.1038/ngeo1373, S2CID   92989973
  16. ↑ "Earthquakes in Pakistan since 1950". Worlddata.info. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  17. ↑ "Earthquakes in Pakistan since 1950". Worlddata.info. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 Quittmeyer & Jacob 1979 , p. 792
  19. 1 2 Quittmeyer & Jacob 1979 , p. 807
  20. 1 2 Quittmeyer & Jacob 1979 , p. 806
  21. ↑ Quittmeyer & Jacob 1979 , p. 805

Sources

Further reading

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