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.
UTC time | 2023-03-21 16:47:23 |
---|---|
ISC event | 625897867 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 2023-03-21 |
Local time | 21:17 AFT (UTC+04:30) 21:47 PKT (UTC+05:00) |
Magnitude | 6.5 Mw |
Depth | 187.6 km (116.6 mi) |
Epicenter | 36°31′23″N 70°58′44″E / 36.523°N 70.979°E |
Areas affected | Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan |
Max. intensity | MMI V (Moderate) |
Landslides | Yes |
Casualties | 21 dead,[1] 424 injured[a] |
Tectonic setting
editThe 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
editThe 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
editAfghanistan
editAt 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
editTremors 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
editTremors 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
editIn 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
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ Ten fatalities and 80 injuries in Afghanistan, 11 fatalities and 343 injuries in Pakistan, and one injury in India.
Citations
edit- ^ "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". Islamabad. Associated Press. 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". Kabul, Islamabad and Peshawar. Reuters. 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.
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- ^ 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.
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- ^ 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.
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