Afghanistan , Dec 15 : An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 rattled Afghanistan early on Monday, the National Centre for Seismology reported. The tremor occurred at 6:10 am at a depth of 22 km, with its epicentre at latitude 36.71°N and longitude 71.58°E. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
This quake comes amid a series of recent tremors in the region. On December 10, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck at a depth of 150 km, while two separate earthquakes were reported on December 9: one measuring 3.8 at 70 km depth, and a stronger 4.5 tremor at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are considered more dangerous as seismic waves reach the surface quickly, causing stronger ground shaking.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush region, which lies in a highly active seismic zone. These recent tremors follow a powerful 6.3-magnitude quake in northern Afghanistan on November 4, which killed at least 27 people, injured hundreds, and damaged historic sites, including a prominent mosque.
The country’s vulnerability is linked to its location along the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, with major fault lines passing through regions such as Herat.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) warns that repeated natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, and seasonal flooding, continue to affect communities already struggling with decades of conflict and limited infrastructure, leaving them with minimal resilience to withstand successive shocks.
