Afghanistan earthquake kills 2000: The frequent tremors the country sees

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

Powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan with magnitude 6.3 have killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 9,000.
Affected regions: Herat province, which borders Iran. The quake also was felt in the nearby Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis

Earthquakes in Afghanistan:

Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan.

List of Afghan quakes over the past three decades:

BADAKHSHAN, 2023
- A magnitude5 earthquake struck the sparsely populated northeastern province of Badakhshan, 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Jurm village, killing at least 13 people in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
KUNAR, September 2022
- Strong tremors hit Kunar province of Afghanistan in September, killing eight.
PAKTIKA, June 2022
- A magnitude 1 earthquake killed 1,036 people in the eastern province of Paktika, causing widespread damage and forcing Afghanistan to appeal for international aid.
HINDU KUSH, 2015
- A quake of magnitude 7.5, one of the largest in Afghanistan’s recorded history, killed 399 people in Afghanistan and neighbours Pakistan and India.
HINDU KUSH, 1991 and 2002
- Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Soviet Union) in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100.
QAYEN, 1997
- A magnitude 7.2 quake on the border of Afghanistan and Iran killed more than 1,500 in both countries and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.
TAKHAR, February-May 1998- magnitude 6.6

Source: IE