Earthquake in Afghanistan and Pakistan
On 21 March 2023, a magnitude 6.5
earthquake struck
Badakhshan Province ,
Afghanistan , with an intermediate depth of approximately 187 km (116 mi).
[2] The
epicenter of the earthquake was 40 km (25 mi) south-southeast of
Jurm .
Tectonic setting
The
Himalayas , partially formed by the collision of
tectonic plates , are prone to devastating earthquakes. Afghanistan is situated near the southern extent of the
Eurasian Plate .
[3] Most of these earthquakes are associated with
reverse ,
thrust , or
strike-slip faulting . Large earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 7.5 have occurred in the region with an average recurrence interval of 15 years. These earthquakes correspond to reverse faulting at a depth of 170 to 280 km (110 to 170 mi).
[4] These earthquakes, rather than occurring at a plate boundary, are sourced from within the Indian Plate as it dives beneath the
Hindu Kush . As the tectonic slab of the Indian Plate descends at a near-vertical angle into the
mantle , it stretches and begins to "tear", eventually leading to a
slab detachment .
[5] This action results in stress accommodation along
faults that produces earthquakes when
ruptured . Smaller shallow focus earthquakes are also observed in the region, particularly associated with north–south trending zones of right lateral strike-slip, such as the
Chaman Fault , with an increasing degree of shortening to the north, together accommodating the highly oblique convergence between the
Indian and the
Eurasian Plates .
[6]
Earthquake
The
United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude of Mww 6.5,
[2] while the
Pakistan Meteorological Department said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5.
[7] The earthquake was initially reported inaccurately as Mw 7.7.
[8] Shaking was felt over an area 1,000 km (620 mi) wide by approximately 285 million people in
Pakistan ,
India ,
Uzbekistan ,
Tajikistan ,
Kazakhstan ,
Kyrgyzstan ,
Afghanistan , and
Turkmenistan , according to the
European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre .
[9]
Impact
Afghanistan
At least 10 people were killed,
[10] 80 others were injured,
[11] and more than 665 houses were destroyed in nine
provinces of Afghanistan .
[12]
[13] Two people died, 25 others were injured and 22 houses collapsed in
Laghman Province .
[14]
[15]
[16] In
Takhar Province , 20 buildings collapsed, one person died and five others were injured.
[17]
[18] In
Panjshir Province , three buildings were seriously damaged, and three people were injured.
[18] In
Badakhshan Province , where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, one person was injured, 70 buildings were destroyed and 50 were damaged.
[19]
[20] In
Kabul Province , one person died and one house was destroyed.
[12] Five houses collapsed in
Nangarhar Province .
[16]
Pakistan
Tremors were felt in
Islamabad ,
Rawalpindi ,
Lahore ,
Quetta , and
Peshawar .
[21] In
Swat District ,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , a teenager was killed from a collapsing wall and a police station was damaged.
[9]
[22] Two people also died due to a wall collapse in the district,
[23] while a falling wall killed another child.
[24] In Swat District, there were
power outages , severe damage and 250 injuries.
[9]
[23]
[24] In
Manshera , a woman died of a
heart attack .
[22] In
Lower Dir District , one person died in a stampede related to the earthquake, a man and a woman were killed due to wall collapses and 43 people were injured from various causes.
[22]
[24]
[25] The
Karakoram Highway was closed due to blockages from
landslides .
[22] In
Islamabad , one person died of a
heart attack and a multi-storey apartment building was damaged.
[22]
[25] There was also a fatality in
Bajaur District .
[21] Buildings were damaged in
Rawalpindi , including six which were deemed in risk of collapse and were evacuated. Two people were injured and another two went unconscious in the city, all due to panic.
[26]
[27] In
Abbottabad , one person died from panic and fear.
[28] In
Mardan District , the wall of a police station collapsed, causing an injury.
[28] Five people were injured in
Swabi District .
[29] Dozens of houses collapsed and 40 people were injured in
Buner District .
[29]
India
Tremors from the earthquake were felt across parts of
North India , particularly in
Jammu and Kashmir ,
Punjab ,
Himachal Pradesh ,
Haryana ,
Rajasthan ,
Uttarakhand and the
National Capital Region .
[30]
[31] Disruptions of electricity and mobile services occurred in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
[32]
[33] A woman was injured after her house collapsed in
Poonch , with reports of cracks in other houses and a wall collapse in the town and in the neighboring
Nowshera .
[34]
[35]
[36] Cracks were reported in some houses in the state capital
Srinagar .
[36] In
Delhi , some buildings were reported to have cracked or tilted.
[37]
Other countries
In
Rudaki District ,
Tajikistan , a house was damaged, causing its occupants to evacuate.
[38] Despite the relatively mild intensity, the earthquake damaged a high-rise building in
Shymkent ,
Kazakhstan , in the form of cracks on walls and falling plaster.
[39]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
^
"Death toll from Pakistan, Afghanistan quake rises to 21" .
Associated Press . 23 March 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023 .
^
a
b National Earthquake Information Center (21 March 2023).
"M 6.5 – 40 km SSE of Jurm, Afghanistan" .
United States Geological Survey .
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
Ambraseyes, N. ; Bilham, R. (2003), "Earthquakes in Afghanistan", Seismological Research Letters , 74 (2): 107,
Bibcode :
2003SeiRL..74..107A ,
doi :
10.1785/gssrl.74.2.107
^ Zoya Zarifi; Jens Havskov (2003).
"Characteristics of dense nests of deep and intermediate-depth seismicity" (PDF) . Advances in Geophysics . 46 : 237–278.
Bibcode :
2003AdGeo..46..237Z .
doi :
10.1016/S0065-2687(03)46004-4 .
ISBN
9780120188468 .
Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^ Sofia-Katerina Kufner; Najibullah Kakar; Maximiliano Bezada; Wasja Bloch; Sabrina Metzger; Xiaohui Yuan; James Mechie; Lothar Ratschbacher; Shokhruhk Murodkulov; Zhiguo Deng; Bernd Schurr (2021).
"The Hindu Kush slab break-off as revealed by deep structure and crustal deformation" . Nature Communications . 12 (1685). Nature: 1685.
Bibcode :
2021NatCo..12.1685K .
doi :
10.1038/s41467-021-21760-w .
PMC
7966371 .
PMID
33727553 .
^
Ambraseys, N.N. ; Bilham, R. (2003). "Earthquakes in Afghanistan". Seismological Research Letters . 74 (2): 107–123.
Bibcode :
2003SeiRL..74..107A .
doi :
10.1785/gssrl.74.2.107 .
S2CID
130945532 .
^ Ahmed, Munir; Faiez, Rahim (21 March 2023).
"Strong magnitude 6.5 quake rattles Afghanistan, Pakistan" .
Associated Press . Islamabad.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^ Ibn Hameed, Haseeb (21 March 2023).
"Fact Check: 7.7-magnitude earthquake poster, damaged building shared on social media are fake" .
Greater Kashmir . Kashmir.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
c Greenfield, Charlotte; Yunus Yawar, Mohammad; Peshiman, Gibran; Ahmad, Jibran (21 March 2023). Maclean, William; Maler, Sandra (eds.).
"Earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hits northern Afghanistan, killing at least 3" .
Reuters . Kabul, Islamabad and Peshawar.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^ Guinto, Joel; Limaye, Yogita (22 March 2023).
"Earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan kills at least 19 people" .
BBC News .
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"زلزله در افغانستان تا کنون ۴ کشته و ۸۰ زخمی در پی داشت" .
Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
a
b آزادی, رادیو (22 March 2023).
"زلزله شب گذشته در افغانستان ۴ کشته و ۷۵ زخمی برجا گذاشت" . Radio Ozodi (in Dari).
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"اوچا: 665 خانه را در افغانستان بر اثر زلزله اخیر تخریب شده استگذاشت" . Memar Press (in Persian).
Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023 .
^
"Earthquake in Afghanistan kills at least 13, nine of them in Pakistan" .
Al Arabiya English . Pakistan.
Reuters . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^ بېدار, عبیدالله (22 March 2023).
"د تېرې شپې زلزله؛ لغمان کې دوه کسان مړه او ۲۵ نور ټپیان شوي" . Pajhwok Afghan News (in Pashto).
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"زلزله در لغمان و ننگرهار دهها خانه را بر سر ساکنانش تخریب کرد" . Pars Today . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023 .
^
"در پی زلزله شب گذشته٬ یکنفر در تخار جان باخت" .
Bakhtar News Agency (in Dari). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"В Пакистане и Афганистане есть погибшие и разрушения в результате землетрясения" .
Asia-Plus (in Russian). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"تخریب بیش از ۷۰ منزل مسکونی در پی زلزله در بدخشان و تخار" . Ava Press (in Persian). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^
"در اثر زلزلۀ شب گذشته در بدخشان یک تن مجروح و ۵۰ منزل مسکونی قسما تخریب گردیدهاست" .
Pajhwok Afghan News (in Persian). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
a
b Latif, Aamir; Adil, Ahmad (22 March 2023).
"At least 4 killed as powerful earthquake jolts Afghanistan, Pakistan, India" .
Anadolu Agency .
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"اسلام آباد سمیت ملک کے مختلف شہروں میں زلزلہ، 4 افراد جاں بحق، متعدد زخمی" (in Urdu).
Geo TV . 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"زلزله پاکستان ۲ کشته و ۱۲۰ مصدوم برجای گذاشت" (in Persian).
Islamic Republic News Agency . 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
c
"Latest: 13 dead after earthquake hits Afghanistan, Pakistan" .
Al Jazeera . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"ملک کے مختلف علاقوں میں زلزلہ، 5 افراد جاں بحق، درجنوں زخمی" . jang.com.pk (in Urdu). 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^ Asghar, Imran (23 March 2023).
"Survey of precarious buildings ordered" .
The Express Tribune .
Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^
"Earthquake hits Pakistan and Afghanistan leaving at least nine dead" .
The Guardian . Islamabad.
Associated Press . 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"ملک کے مختلف علاقوں میں خوفناک زلزلہ، ہلاکتوں کی تعداد 9 ہوگئی" .
24 News HD (in Urdu). 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"ملک بھر میں زلزلے کے شدیدجھٹکے محسوس کئے گئے ، جس کی شدت ریکٹرسکیل پر 7.7ریکارڈ کی گئی ۔" .
News One (in Urdu). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"Strong tremors jolt Delhi, parts of north India as 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Hindukush region in Afghanistan" .
The Tribune . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ Hussain, Syed Khalid (22 March 2023).
"Earthquake In Kashmir: Doctors Deliver Baby Amid Strong Tremors At Anantnag Hospital – WATCH" . Zee News .
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^
"Earthquake: जम्मू कश्मीर में लगे भूकंप के झटके, बिजली व दूरसंचार सेवा प्रभावित, अनंतनाग में जारी रही सर्जरी" . Amarujala (in Hindi). 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^ Dhar, Aniruddha; Kaul, Rhythma (21 March 2023).
"Top scientist explains why Delhi, northwest India felt earthquake tremors for long time" .
Hindustan Times .
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
"Woman injured as mud house collapses in Poonch" . kashmiruzma.net . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"Earthquake in Jammu: भूकंप से पुंछ व नौशहरा में मकानों में आई दरारें, लोगों में डर का माहौल" .
Dainik Jagran . 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^
a
b
"Delhi NCR Earthquake: तेज भूकंप के झटकों की चपेट में दिल्ली, इस्लामाबाद और काबुल, पाकिस्तान में 2 लोगों की मौत, 6 घायल" . ABP Live (in Hindi). 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"जामिया नगर, कालकाजी और शाहदरा इलाकों से झुकी हुई इमारतों और इमारतों में दरारें से संबंधित कॉल प्राप्त हुए। इन इलाकों में" . cgtop36.com (in Hindi). 21 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^
" "Божья кара" или стихийное бедствие? Землетрясение напугало жителей Таджикистана" . Radio Ozodi (in Russian). 22 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023 .
^
"Трещины на стенах - жители Шымкента боятся возвращаться в многоэтажку после землетрясений" . Kazakhstan Today (in Russian). 29 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023 .
January February March April May August September October November December
† indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year
Dates for all earthquakes are in
UTC
Historical 20th century 21st century Related topics
Pre-20th century 20th century 21st century