Two people have been confirmed dead following an Earthquake in Badakhshan Province in north-eastern Afghanistan on Sunday 22 November
2015. The quake was measured as having a Magnitude of 5.9 and occurring
at a depth of 92 km by the United States Geological Survey and was felt as far away as West Bengal in India.
Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations on Earth and has suffered decades of war. This means that few (if any) buildings in the country are protected against the effects of Earthquakes, with many buildings in the area made of mud brick, a building material considered particularly hazardous during quakes, as the bricks have a tendency to liquify, trapping and suffocating people inside. The poor state of the transport network within the country and low numbers of medical staff mean that people injured in quakes are more likely to die as a result of their injuries than in more developed nations, adding to the death toll during such events.
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.
See also...
Hundreds known to have died following massive deep Earthquake in northeast Afghanistan. Four hundred and forty people are known to have died and thousands more
are missing or injured following...
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Damage in Badakhshan following the 22 November 2015 Earthquake. Live on India.
Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations on Earth and has suffered decades of war. This means that few (if any) buildings in the country are protected against the effects of Earthquakes, with many buildings in the area made of mud brick, a building material considered particularly hazardous during quakes, as the bricks have a tendency to liquify, trapping and suffocating people inside. The poor state of the transport network within the country and low numbers of medical staff mean that people injured in quakes are more likely to die as a result of their injuries than in more developed nations, adding to the death toll during such events.
The approximate location of the 22 November 2015 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...
Hundreds known to have died following massive deep Earthquake in northeast Afghanistan. Four hundred and forty people are known to have died and thousands more
are missing or injured following...
Fifty
two people have been confirmed dead after a landslide struck a remote
village in the Khawahan District in Badakhshan Province in northeastern
Afghanistan, close to the border with Tajikistan, early...
The United
States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake at a depth
of 97.2 km in southern Badakshan Province, Afghanistan...
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