Afghanistan lies in one of the world’s most earthquake-prone regions
At least 20 people were killed and about 320 injured after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan early Monday morning, shaking the city of Mazar-e Sharif. The disaster hit just months after another series of quakes and aftershocks claimed more than 2,200 lives across the country.
Afghanistan lies in one of the world’s most earthquake-prone regions because it sits near the collision zone of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Indian plate continuously pushes northward into the Eurasian plate, building up immense pressure underground. When this stress is suddenly released, it causes strong and often deadly earthquakes.
Since 1990, Afghanistan has recorded over 350 quakes above magnitude 5, with an average annual death toll of around 560 and damages exceeding $80 million. The eastern and northeastern regions, including Kabul, face the highest risk, where quakes can also trigger destructive landslides that endanger both mountain villages and crowded urban areas.
Past disasters include the 1998 quakes that killed thousands, the 2022 quake that left around 1,000 dead, and a series of tremors in 2023 that flattened entire communities. Experts continue to urge the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings and the retrofitting of older structures to limit future losses.
Earthquakes occur when stress builds up along active faults. The rocks on either side of a fault cannot slide smoothly due to friction, causing pressure to accumulate. When the stress surpasses the strength of the rocks, the fault ruptures, releasing energy as seismic waves that make the ground shake. Large earthquakes are often followed by smaller aftershocks, which decrease in size and frequency over time, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).
