Afghanistan rocked by 3.7-magnitude earthquake; fourth tremor in a month
What's the story
A magnitude 3.7 earthquake hit Afghanistan early on Friday, the fourth such incident in less than a month. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded the quake at 6:09am Indian Standard Time (IST) at a depth of 80km. The epicenter was located at latitude 36.38N and longitude 71.14E. There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties from this latest tremor.
Recent tremors
Earthquakes in Afghanistan
The recent earthquake is the fourth one to hit Afghanistan in less than a month. On October 21, a magnitude 4.3 quake rattled the same region, while on October 17, a stronger tremor of magnitude 5.5 was recorded. The latter occurred at a depth of 43km and was centered about 47km north-northwest of Khandud at around 12:15 UTC (5:45pm IST).
Active region
Earthquake-prone areas
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India are among the world's most seismically active areas due to their location on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Shallow earthquakes like the recent ones in Afghanistan can be more dangerous. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes travel a shorter distance to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking, potentially more structural damage, and more casualties.