More than 800 dead following Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake in eastern Afghanistan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake at a depth of 8 km, roughly 27 km to the northeast of the city of Jalālābād in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan, slightly after 11.45 pm local time (slightly after 7.15 pm GMT) on Sunday 31 August 2025. The quake was felt across eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, as well as in parts of northern India, and is reported to have completely destroyed several villages in Kunar Province, on the border with Pakistan. At the time of writing, more than 800 people have been confirmed to have died, with that number expected to rise significantly over the coming days. A further 2500 people are known to have been injured by the event, and the Taliban government of Afghanistan is appealing to the international community for help with rescue and reconstruction efforts.

The approximate location of the 31 August 2025 Afghanistan Earthquake. USGS.

The boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates runs close to 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.

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Two deaths following Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake beneath Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake at a depth of 12 km, approximately 12 km to the northwest of the town of Poso in Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, slightly before 6.40 am local time on Sunday 17 August 2025 (slightly before 10.40 pm on Sunday 16 August, GMT). Twenty nine people are known to have been injured during this event, two of whom subsequently died, one later on the day of the event, and one on Tuesday 19 August. The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks.

The approximate location of the 17 August 2025  Central Sulawesi Province Earthquake. USGS.

The tectonic situation beneath Sulawesi is complex, as it is caught in the collisional zone between the Eurasian, Pacific and Australian Plates. The north of the island is located on a breakaway section of the Eurasian Plate, called the Sangihe Plate. To the east lies the remnant Molucca Sea Plate, which is being subducted beneath both the Sangihe Plate and the more easterly Halmahera Plate, leading to Earthquakes and volcanism on Sulawesi and the islands of the Sangihe Arc in the west and the islands of the Halmahera Arc in the east.

The subduction zones beneath Sulawesi and the surrounding islands. Hall & Spakman (2015).

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At least one fatality following Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake in eastern Turkey.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km, about 10 km to the southwest of the municipality of Bigadiç in Balıkesir Province, Turkey,  slightly before 7.55 pm local time (slightly before 4.55 pm GMT) on Sunday 10 August 2025. Sixteen buildings are reported to have collapsed following the event, although the majority are reported to have been derelict before the event, with at least one fatality, an 81-year-old woman who died after being rescued from the remains of a collapsed building, with 29 more people having been injured.

Local residents removing debris from collapsed buildings following an Earthquake in northeast Turkey on 10 August 2025. Bahadir Demirçeriven/AP.

Balıkesir Province lies close to the boundary between the Anatolian Plate, to the north, the Aegean Sea Plate (underlying the Peloponnese, Attica, The Cyclades Islands, Crete, the Dodecanese Islands and Turkey to the southeast of the Taurus Mountains) to the west and the African Plate to the south. Northern Greece and the north coast of Turkey lie on the Eurasian Plate. Both countries are highly prone to earthquakes because of this.

The approximate location of the 10 August 2020 Balıkesir Province Earthquake. USGS.

To the east the Arabian Plate  is being pushed north and west by the movement of the African Plate, further to the south. This leads to a zone of tectonic activity within the province, as the Arabian and Anatolian plates are pushed together, along the East Anatolian Fault, and past one-another, along the Dead Sea Transform.

Simplified map of the plate movements of the eastern Mediterranean. Univeriteit Utrecht.

This movement also leads to a zone of faulting along the northern part of Turkey, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, as the Anatolian Plate is pushed past the Eurasian Plate, which underlies the Black Sea and Crimean Peninsula  (transform faulting). This is not a simple process, as the two plates constantly stick together, then break apart as the pressure builds up, leading to Earthquakes, which can be some distance from the actual fault zone. 

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Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake at a depth of 20.7 km off the southeast coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East slightly before 11.25 am local time on Wednesday 30 July 2025 (slightly before 11.25 pm on Tuesday 29 July, GMT). A Magnitude of 8.8 makes this the sixth largest Earthquake ever recorded. Despite the size of this event, no casualties have been reported, although the port of Severo-Kurilsk was inundated by a 4 m wave, causing Russian authorities to evacuate the town, and tsunami warnings were triggered across the Pacific.

The approximate location of the 30 July 2025 Kamchatka Earthquake. USGS.

The Kamchatka Peninsula lies on the eastern edge of the Okhotsk Plate, close to its margin with the Pacific and North American Plates. The Pacific Plate is being subducted along the margin, and as it does so it passes under the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula. This is not a smooth process, the rocks of the two plates continuously stick together then, as the pressure builds up, break apart again, causing Earthquakes.

Simple diagram showing the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk Plate along the Kuril Trench. Auburn University.

Earthquakes along subductive margins are particularly prone to causing tsunamis, since these often occur when the overlying plate has stuck to the underlying plate, being pulled out of shape by its movement.. Eventually the pressure builds up to far and the overlying plate snaps back, causing an Earthquake and a tsunami.

Simplified graphic showing tsunami generation along a convergent margin.NASA/JPL/CalTech.

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Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in the Atacama Region of Chile

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake at a depth of 76.6 km, roughly 52 km to the southwest of the city of Diego de Almagro in Chañaral Province, in the Atacama Region of Chile, at about 1.15 pm local time (about 5.15 pm GMT) on Friday 6 June 2025. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it as far suth as Santiago, 900 km to the south.

The location of the 6 June 2025 Atacama Earthquake. USGS.

Chile is located on the west coast of South America, which is also the convergent margin between the Nazca and South American Plates. The Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate and is sinking beneath the South American Plate. This is not a smooth process, the rocks of the two plates continuously stick together then, as the pressure builds up, break apart again, causing Earthquakes. As the Nazca Plate sinks deeper it is partially melted by the heat of the Earth's interior. Some of the melted material then rises up through the overlying South American Plate as magma, fuelling the volcanoes of the Chilean Andes.

The subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, and how it causes Earthquakes and volcanoes. Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.

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