Sunday 29 October 2017

Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 101.3 km in the Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakshan Province, Afghanistan, at about 10.15 pm local time (about 5.45 pm GMT) on Saturday 28 October 2017. Quakes at this depth are seldom dangerous, but are often felt over a wide area, and this one was reportedly felt across eastern Afghanistan, western Tajikistan, northern Pakistan and in Jammu and Kashmir State, India.

The approximate location of the 28 October 2017 Badakshan Earthquake.Google Maps.

Eastern Afghanistan lies close to the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which runs through northern Afghanistan. The Indian Plate is moving northward relative to the Eurasian Plate, causing folding and uplift along this boundary, which has led to the formation of the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the other mountain ranges of Central Asia., and which makes the nations in this boundary zone prone to Earthquakes.

Plate boundaries and movements beneath southern Pakistan, Iran and the Arabian Sea. University of Southampton.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

See also...

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/hundreds-known-to-have-died-following.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/fatalities-confirmed-following.html

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/magnitude-53-earthquake-in-badakshan.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/afghanistan-landslide-kills-at-least-52.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/at-least-73-dead-following-afghanistan.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/magnitude-40-earthquake-in-kunduz.html

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.