Afghanistan Hit By 3 Earthquakes In Just Over a Week – Why Is The Earth Shaking So Often In Hindu Kush?

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck Afghanistan on Wednesday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

As per the statement, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 47km. In a post on X, the Afghanistan said, “EQ of M: 4.2, On: 06/08/2025 12:19:18 IST, Lat: 36.54 N, Long: 71.52 E, Depth: 47 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”

Back-to-back Earthquakes in Afghanistan

Earlier on August 2, an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck the region at a depth of 87km.

In a post on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 5.5, On: 02/08/2025 02:33:32 IST, Lat: 35.86 N, Long: 69.94 E, Depth: 87 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”

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On July 29, an earthquake of magnitude 4.8 struck the region at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.
In a post on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 4.8, On: 29/07/2025 16:54:37 IST, Lat: 35.36 N, Long: 70.66 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan Vulnerable To Earthquakes 

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan, noted that the country remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including seasonal flooding, landslides and earthquakes.

Frequent Earthquakes In Afghanistan

These frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan cause damage to vulnerable communities, which are already grappling with decades of conflict and under-development and have left them with little resilience to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks, UNOCHA noted.

Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes, and the Hindu Kush Mountain range is a geologically active area where quakes occur every year, according to the Red Cross.

Afghanistan sits on numerous fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line also running directly through Herat.

(With inputs from ANI)

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