Hindu Kush Earthquakes

Largest Quake Detected in the Hindu Kush
M4.70 9 km NE of Boshkengash, Tajikistan
18 hours ago · Depth 10 km

Recent Hindu Kush Earthquakes (Past 24 Hours)

• M4.30
  36 km S of Jurm, Afghanistan

  Oct 13, 2026 12:12 UTC · Depth 188.8 km
• M4.70
  9 km NE of Boshkengash, Tajikistan

  Oct 13, 2026 09:41 UTC · Depth 10 km

Source: USGS

Monitor the latest available earthquakes beneath the Hindu Kush and surrounding areas of northeastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and southern Tajikistan. This is one of the world’s most unusual earthquake zones because many of its strongest tremors begin far below the surface, sometimes at depths exceeding 200 kilometres.

Understanding the Hindu Kush Earthquake Map

Each colored circle represents an earthquake reported by the USGS at magnitude 1.5 or above. Click or tap a circle to see its magnitude, location, time and depth. Use the time filters to display earthquakes from the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. Times are shown in UTC unless stated otherwise.

The Hindu Kush is a cross-border mountain region, so an earthquake may be labelled “Afghanistan,” “Pakistan,” “Tajikistan” or simply “Hindu Kush region.” Those descriptions can refer to the same wider seismic zone. If the recent-earthquake list is empty, it means no qualifying earthquakes were reported within the selected period, not that the map has stopped working.

hindu kush earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)

Why Are Hindu Kush Earthquakes So Deep?

The Indian Plate is moving northward into Eurasia, but the geology below the Hindu Kush is more complicated than two plates meeting along a single fault. Beneath the mountains, dense sections of lithosphere descend into the mantle. As this material stretches, bends and begins to detach, it generates earthquakes at depths where ordinary brittle rock would normally be expected to deform rather than break.

Researchers have mapped most Hindu Kush seismicity at depths of approximately 70 to 250 kilometres. The earthquakes form a steep zone dipping northward beneath the Hindu Kush. Beneath the neighboring Pamir Mountains, seismicity outlines a different structure dipping in the opposite direction. This unusual arrangement is described in research published by Geophysical Journal International.

The exact origin of the descending material is still debated. Some studies associate it with Indian lithosphere being pulled downward, while others have found evidence for a complicated break-off involving previously subducted Asian material. A detailed open-access study in Nature Communications shows why the structure beneath the Hindu Kush cannot be reduced to a single neat plate-boundary diagram.

Why Deep Earthquakes Can Be Felt So Far Away

A deep Hindu Kush earthquake may be felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and northern India even when the epicentre is hundreds of kilometres away. Seismic waves leaving a deep source can travel efficiently through relatively cold, rigid rock before reaching the surface across a very wide area.

Depth can also reduce the concentration of destructive shaking immediately above the epicentre. This helps explain why some magnitude 7 Hindu Kush earthquakes have caused less surface destruction than much smaller shallow earthquakes. It does not make deep earthquakes harmless. Weak buildings, landslides, falling masonry and panic can still cause casualties across a large region.

Major Hindu Kush Earthquakes

This list highlights earthquakes that were especially large, destructive or recently significant. It does not include every moderate earthquake recorded in the region.

• June 2026 Hindu Kush earthquake (M6.1): On June 27, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck approximately 47 kilometers south of Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan. The reviewed USGS record places its focus about 199 kilometers beneath the Hindu Kush. Shaking was felt across Afghanistan and Pakistan, but no casualties or serious damage were reported in the initial assessments described by Reuters.
• April 2026 Jurm earthquake (M5.8): This deep earthquake occurred about 35 kilometers south of Jurm at a depth of approximately 188 kilometers. Despite the distant source, damage was reported across several Afghan provinces. Twelve people were reported killed and five homes were destroyed, according to an updated Assomciated Press report.
• November 2025 northern Afghanistan earthquake (M6.2): A shallow earthquake struck near Mazar-i-Sharif and Khulm, causing severe shaking across Balkh and Samangan provinces. The reviewed USGS event record lists a magnitude of 6.2 and a depth of 28 kilometers, although early reports commonly described it as magnitude 6.3. A later UN humanitarian update recorded 26 deaths, 1,172 injuries and damage to more than 1,300 homes.
• August 2025 Kunar earthquake (M6.0): One of Afghanistan’s deadliest recent disasters began with a shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake in the Hindu Kush mountains west of Asadabad. Its depth of only eight kilometers produced violent shaking that flattened villages in Kunar and damaged communities in Nangarhar and Laghman. Later humanitarian assessments recorded nearly 2,000 deaths, more than 3,600 injuries and thousands of destroyed homes. The earthquake’s source and shaking are documented in the USGS event summary, while the later casualty and damage figures appear in an International Organization for Migration update.
• January 2024 Hindu Kush earthquake (M6.4): A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred approximately 45 kilometers south-southwest of Jurm at a depth of about 204 kilometres. It was felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India, sending people out of buildings in several major cities. Its great depth helped limit its effects, and no casualties or significant damage were reported. The measurements and initial impact were reported by the Associated Press.
• March 2023 Hindu Kush earthquake (M6.5): This earthquake originated about 192 kilometers below northeastern Afghanistan near Jurm. Shaking reached Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and other parts of Central and South Asia. Sixteen deaths were eventually reported across Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with injuries and hundreds of damaged homes. The magnitude and location are recorded by the USGS, while the reported effects are summarized in a UN humanitarian update.
• April 2016 Hindu Kush earthquake (M6.6): A magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred beneath Badakhshan at a depth of approximately 210 kilometres. It was felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and parts of Central Asia. Deaths, injuries, landslides and building damage were reported, particularly in northern Pakistan. The event is documented in an official humanitarian flash update collected by ReliefWeb.
• 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake (M7.5): The earthquake began approximately 231 kilometres beneath northeastern Afghanistan. Despite its great depth, shaking spread across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and several Central Asian countries. About 400 people were killed, with northern Pakistan suffering the largest losses. The earthquake’s measurements are recorded in the USGS event summary, while humanitarian reports are collected by ReliefWeb.
• June 2012 Baghlan earthquakes: Two earthquakes measuring magnitude 5.4 and 5.7 struck northeastern Afghanistan within approximately half an hour. They triggered a massive landslide that buried part of Sayi Hazara village in Baghlan Province. Seventy-five people were killed and 13 were injured, according to the final humanitarian situation report collected by ReliefWeb.
• March 2002 deep earthquake (M7.4): This powerful earthquake originated approximately 226 kilometres beneath northeastern Afghanistan. It was felt across much of Central and South Asia. A landslide buried the village of Zow in Samangan Province and accounted for many of the roughly 150 to 170 reported deaths. The depth and faulting are described in the USGS event summary.
• March 2002 Nahrin earthquake (M6.1): Only three weeks after the deeper magnitude 7.4 event, a much shallower earthquake devastated communities around Nahrin in northern Afghanistan. At least 1,800 people were reported killed, thousands were injured and extensive areas of traditional mud-brick housing collapsed. NASA compared the two March earthquakes, while the casualty figures appear in the USGS bulletin archived by ReliefWeb.
• 1998 Takhar earthquakes: Two destructive earthquakes struck northern Afghanistan in February and May. The February earthquake devastated communities around Rustaq and killed more than 2,300 people. The magnitude 6.5 earthquake in May destroyed villages across Takhar and Badakhshan and caused approximately 4,000 further deaths. Contemporary humanitarian information is available in the February 1998 UN reports and May 1998 UN reports.

A Smaller Earthquake Can Be More Destructive

The 2002 earthquake sequence provides one of the clearest examples of why magnitude should never be read as a damage forecast. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake was much stronger in terms of energy, but it began hundreds of kilometres underground. The later magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred close to the surface and devastated poorly constructed villages around Nahrin.

Local geology and construction matter just as much. Many communities in the Hindu Kush are built on steep slopes or narrow valleys where landslides can block roads and isolate villages. Traditional stone and mud-brick homes can perform poorly during strong shaking, particularly when roofs are heavy and walls are not reinforced. Winter weather, damaged roads and limited communications can then make rescue operations considerably harder.

Earthquake Monitoring in the Region

The international USGS catalogue supplies the data used by this page, while the German Research Centre for Geosciences and national monitoring agencies may calculate their own locations, depths and magnitudes. Pakistan’s National Seismic Monitoring Center publishes regional earthquake information, including events felt across northern Pakistan.

Preliminary magnitudes can differ between agencies because they may use different seismic stations, magnitude scales and calculation methods. Deep earthquakes are especially challenging to locate precisely. An earthquake’s reported magnitude, depth and epicentre can therefore change after seismologists review additional data.

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