Late at night, Afghanistan experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). The quake occurred on Tuesday at 01:42 AM Indian Standard Time, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The NCS shared this information in a post, noting the location as Afghanistan with coordinates 36.41 N, 70.95 E.
Earlier, the region was hit by a 4.1 magnitude earthquake on Monday and a 4.2 magnitude quake on January 30. Shallow earthquakes like these are often more dangerous because they release energy closer to the surface, causing more intense shaking. Afghanistan has experienced 13 earthquakes in the past 30 days.
The recent earthquake was recorded in the Badakhshan region, a mountainous area prone to natural disasters. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) highlights Afghanistan's vulnerability to natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, and landslides. These frequent quakes impact communities already struggling with conflict and under-development.
Afghanistan's location on numerous fault lines between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, including one through Herat, contributes to its history of powerful earthquakes, particularly in the geologically active Hindu Kush Mountain range.
Magnitude is a way to measure the size or energy of an earthquake. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake is considered light and might cause minor shaking but usually doesn't cause much damage.
Badakhshan is a region in Afghanistan. It's known for its mountains and is located in the northeastern part of the country.
The National Center for Seismology is an organization that studies earthquakes. They keep track of when and where earthquakes happen and how strong they are.
The depth of an earthquake is how far below the Earth's surface it occurs. A depth of 10 kilometers means the earthquake happened 10 kilometers underground.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of the Earth's crust that move around slowly. When they bump into each other or slide past each other, they can cause earthquakes.
Fault lines are cracks in the Earth's surface where tectonic plates meet. Earthquakes often happen along these lines because the plates can move suddenly.
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