Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude jolts Afghanistan

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 180km at latitude 36.65 N and longitude 71.33 E.

The details of the earthquake were shared on X.

"EQ of M: 4.2, On: 16/01/2025 00:02:52 IST, Lat: 36.65 N, Long: 71.33 E, Depth: 180 Km, Location: Afghanistan," NCS stated.

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1879600340372467815

This earthquake is an aftershock of an earthquake of 4 magnitude on the Richter Scale that occurred on Wednesday.

"EQ of M: 4.0, On: 15/01/2025 13:11:25 IST, Lat: 36.48 N, Long: 70.84 E, Depth: 180 Km, Location: Afghanistan," NCS stated.

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1879438130333491416

On Tuesday, Tajikistan, Afghanistan's neighbouring country, was jolted by a 4.1 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 28km, which made it susceptible to aftershocks.

The NCS stated in a post on X, "EQ of M: 4.1, On: 14/01/2025 03:55:41 IST, Lat: 37.16 N, Long: 72.28 E, Depth: 28 Km, Location: Tajikistan."

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1878933929107066888

Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes, with the Hindu Kush Mountain range being a geologically active area where quakes occur every year, as per 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.

When earthquakes strike, they are in Afghanistan's rural regions where the damage is most often at its peak. These remote communities often live in homes that are built from less robust materials such as mudbrick, heightening their vulnerability. Due to the isolation of these villages, ensuring rapid support from humanitarian organisations and government bodies can be difficult. Often, these disasters damage crucial transport links and roads out of the community, making it difficult to access emergency services, or immediately notify surrounding areas of the damage, as per Afghan aid, a British humanitarian and development organisation that works in Afghanistan. (ANI)