2026 Jurm earthquake

2026 Jurm earthquake
USGS ShakeMap
2026 Jurm earthquake is located in Afghanistan
2026 Jurm earthquake
Kabul
Kabul
UTC time
  • 2026-04-03 16:12:58
ISC event
USGS-ANSS
Local date
  • April 3, 2026
Local time
Magnitude
Depth
  • 188.0 km (117 mi)
Epicenter36°32′53″N 70°51′07″E / 36.548°N 70.852°E / 36.548; 70.852
Areas affectedAfghanistan, North Pakistan, India
Max. intensityMMI III (Weak)
Casualties12 deaths, 6 injuries

On April 3, 2026, a Mw 5.8 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. The epicenter was located 35 kilometres (22 mi) S of Jurm at a depth of 188.0 km (117 mi). Twelve people were killed and six others were injured.[1][2]

Tectonic setting

The 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

The earthquake struck about 35 km (22 mi) south of Jurm in Badakhshan Province. An estimated 16.54 million people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan felt MMI II–III (Weak) shaking.[7] Tremors were also felt across Delhi and several parts of north India, including Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.[8] It was also felt in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.[9]

Impact

Twelve people were killed and four others were injured in Afghanistan.[10] Five homes collapsed and another 33 were damaged in six provinces of Afghanistan, affecting 40 families.[1] The casualties included eight people killed and a three-year-old boy injured when a house collapsed near Kabul, all members of the same family.[11][12] Two people were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.[2] The Kapoor Haveli mansion in Peshawar partially collapsed due to the shaking and heavy rainfall.[13] Authorities said that a solid assessment of damage could potentially be delayed because of the remoteness of the epicenter of the earthquake.[14] Due to the epicenter being remote, it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul.[15] Provincial health authorities in the country were put on alert.[16]

Responses

India announced on 5 April that they sent an aid package containing kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, blankets and other essential items to victims of the earthquake and recent floods in the country.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Death Toll From Afghan Quake Rises, Including 8 Members of Refugee Family Returned From Iran". US News and World Report. April 4, 2026. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "پنجاب، خیبرپختونخوا کے مختلف اضلاع میں 6.3 شدت کا زلزلہ، 2 زخمی". Express News. April 3, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ Zarifi, Zoya; Havskov, Jens (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 March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  5. ↑ Kufner, Sofia-Katerina; Kakar, Najibullah; Bezada, Maximiliano; Bloch, Wasja; Metzger, Sabrina; Yuan, Xiaohui; Mechie, James; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Murodkulov, Shokhruhk; Deng, Zhiguo; Schurr, Bernd (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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ ANSS. "M 5.8 - 35 km S of Jurm, Afghanistan 2026". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  8. ↑ Thakur, Aksheev (April 3, 2026). "Earthquake tremors felt in Delhi-NCR and parts of north India". The Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Deadly earthquake jolts Afghanistan, tremors felt in Pakistan". TRT World. April 3, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  10. ↑ "At least 12 persons, including eight of one family, killed in Afghan quake". The Hindu. AP. April 4, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Eight dead after earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Afghanistan". Reuters. April 3, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ "5.8 magnitude quake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan and 8 are reported dead in Kabul". CTV News. The Associated Press. April 3, 2026. Archived from the original on April 3, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Raj Kapoor's ancestral haveli in Peshawar partially collapses after rains, earthquake; officials call for urgent restoration". Times of India. April 5, 2026. Archived from the original on April 5, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ Sobhan, Shakeel (April 4, 2026). "Afghanistan earthquake of magnitude 5.9 kills at least 8". Deutsche Welle. AP, Reuters. Archived from the original on April 4, 2026. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Eight killed as 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan". The Economic Times. AP. April 4, 2026. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ "At least eight dead after earthquake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan". Sky News. April 3, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ "هند به‌عنوان نخستین کشور به آسیب‌دیدگان زلزله و سیلاب در افغانستان کمک کرد" [India was the first country to help earthquake and flood victims in Afghanistan.] (in Persian). Afghanistan International. April 5, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
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