Sciency Thoughts: Herat Province

Showing posts with label Herat Province. Show all posts

Friday, 13 October 2023

Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake to the northeast of Herat, Afghanistan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake at a depth of 9 km, roughly 28 km to the northeast of the city of Herat in northeast Afghanistan, slightly after 5.10 am local time (slightly after 12. 40 am GMT) on Wednesday 11 October 2023. The event is reported to have led to at least one death and 150 injuries, and occurred only four days after another Earthquake of similar Magnitude to the northeast of Herat, which is now known to have killed over 2000 people, and which has left hospital supplies in the region dangerously low. Building collapses are a particular danger in Afghanistan as many buildings are made of mud bricks, which can liquify in Earthquakes, forming a fine dust which asphyxiates people trapped beneath fallen structures.

The approximate location of the 11 October 2023 Herat 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.

Sunday, 8 October 2023

More than 2000 dead following Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake in northeastern Afghanistan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km, roughly 40 km to the northeast of the city of Herat in northeast Afghanistan, slightly after 11.40 am local time (slightly after 7.10 m GMT) on Saturday 7 October 2023. Six villages are reported to have been more-or-less completely destroyed, with 2053 people currently reported dead, and 9240 injured, with 1329 buildings destroyed or damaged, making the event most deadly Earthquake in Afghanistan for more than two decades. Building collapses are a particular danger in Afghanistan as many buildings are made of mud bricks, which can liquify in Earthquakes, forming a fine dust which asphyxiates people trapped beneath fallen structures. The initial Earthquake has been followed by several large aftershocks, at least three of which have had Magnitudes in excess of 5.0.

Local people searching for survivors in the village of Sarbuland in Herat Province, Afghanistan, following a Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake on 7 October 2023. AFP/Getty Images.

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

Saturday, 30 March 2019

Flash floods kill at least 39 in northern Afghanistan.

At least 39 people have died and thousands more have been made homeless in flash flooding following heavy rain across northern Afghanistan this week. A total of twelve people have been confirmed dead in the province of Jawzjan, with ten confirmed dead in Herat, eight in Faryab, eight in Badghis, and one in Sar-e Pul, with the number of unrecorded casualties likely to be larger in all these provinces.

Flooding in the Enjil District of Herat Province this week. Jalil Ahmad/Reuters.

Flash floods and landslides are a frequent problem in northern Afghanistan, where a mostly dry climate is broken by occasional bouts of heavy rainfall. The dry nature of the climate means that little of the landscape is covered by extensive vegetation (which can stabilise hillsides with root-growth), making the area vulnerable to flash floods. This situation is made worse by the widespread use of dried mud bricks as a building material, resulting in buildings that offer little protection against flooding and are easily swept away.