Second earthquake in 24 hours strikes Afghanistan

Kabul [Afghanistan], February 9 (ANI): Another earthquake jolted Afghanistan within 24 hours on Sunday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology said.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 180km, the statement said.

"EQ of M: 4.2, On: 09/02/2025 22:08:55 IST, Lat: 36.51 N, Long: 70.97 E, Depth: 180 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1888631505238585834

Earleir in the day, an earthquake of 4.1 magnitude on Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan.

The earthquake happened at a depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.1, On: 09/02/2025 00:05:07 IST, Lat: 34.28 N, Long: 68.36 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1888302924864073822

Shallow earthquakes are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth's surface, causing stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes which lose energy as they travel to the surface.

The region experiences frequent earthquakes as earlier on February 4, an earthquake of 4.3 magnitude on the Richter Scale hit Afghanistan, a statement by the National Center for Seismology said.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 60km, as per the NCS.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.3, On: 04/02/2025 11:30:13 IST, Lat: 36.64 N, Long: 71.16 E, Depth: 60 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1886660086556451278

As per the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including seasonal flooding, landslides and earthquakes.

These frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan cause damage to vulnerable communities, which are already grappling with decades of conflict and under-development and have left them with little resilience to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks, UNOCHA noted.

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 the 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. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)