U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2007–3027

April 2007

Earthquakes Pose a Serious Hazard in Afghanistan

Printed on recycled paper

The nation of Afghanistan is located in a geologically 

active part of the world where the northward-moving Indian 

plate is colliding with southern part of the Eurasian plate at a 

rate of about 1.7 inches per year (43 mm/yr) (fig. 1). This collision has created the world’s highest mountains and causes slips 

on major faults that generate large, often devastating earthquakes. An example is the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on October 

8, 2005, in Kashmir, Pakistan, which caused more than 80,000 

fatalities and left an estimated 4 million people homeless. 

Each year Afghanistan is struck by moderate to strong 

earthquakes, and every few years, a powerful earthquake causes 

significant damage or fatalities. As Afghanistan rebuilds following decades of war and strife, new construction and development need to be designed to accommodate the hazards posed by 

strong earthquakes. To assist in reconstruction efforts, the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a preliminary 

seismic-hazard map of Afghanistan. This preliminary assessment of Afghanistan’s seismic hazard incorporates data from 

thousands of earthquakes (a subset is shown in figure 1) 

combined with data about historical accounts of earthquakes, 

information about active faults, and models of how earthquake energy travels through the Earth’s crust in the region. 

The resulting map is the first detailed, systematic assessment 

of expected levels of ground shaking in Afghanistan that uses 

modern hazard-analysis methodologies.

Earthquakes in Afghanistan are most abundant in and near 

the northeastern part of the country where the effects of the 

plate collision between India and Asia are most pronounced. 

In this region, tectonic forces have created the mountains of 

the Hindu Kush and Pamirs along with frequent moderate to 

large earthquakes (see fig. 3). Historical accounts show that the 

damaging earthquakes have also occurred elsewhere, even in the 

A S S E S S I N G T H E H A Z A R D C O N T R I B U T E S T O R E C O N S T R U C T I O N

43 mm/yr

Indian plate

Eurasian plate

65° 60°

70° 75°

35°

30°

35°

30°

75° 65° 70°

60°

Lambert Conformable Conic Projection

Afghanistan

Pakistan India

Iran

1175

818

1956

1102

765

1949

1907 China

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

1935

1931

1901

Kabul

1998

1965

1922

1951 1941

1911

1896

EXPLANATION

Selected historical

 earthquakes (765–1899)

6.0 – 7.0

7.0 – 8.0

Earthquake depth (1900–2002)

0 – 70 km

> 70 km

Magnitude (1900–2002)

5.0 – 6.0

6.0 – 7.0

7.0 – 8.0

0 50 100 200 300 KILOMETERS

Figure 1.  Map showing generalized boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates in southern Asia (yellow

line) and locations of historical earthquakes. Dates of selected significant earthquakes are shown in bold. Red arrow

shows the general direction and rate of the Indian plate movement. Yellow arrows show left-lateral sense of motion

on the western plate margin. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian is force that causes of the 

earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan.
TIME , IN SECONDS

DISPLACEMENT

M 5.0 Earthquake, Hindu Kush Region

December 1, 2006, 13:12 hours (UTC)

120 140 160 180 200 220

Effects of the Kashmir Pakistan Earthquake

seismically less active parts of the country; the map of earthquakes in Afghanistan 

(fig. 1) shows that the frequency and size of earthquakes varies across the country, 

and so does the hazard.

Past Earthquakes and Current Monitoring

Future earthquakes are most likely to occur in areas of numerous historical earthquakes; therefore, seismically active areas have comparatively high 

seismic hazards. As a first step in assessing Afghanistan’s seismic hazards, the 

USGS compiled a comprehensive catalog that combines information from written 

accounts of historical earthquakes with data from instrumentally recorded earthquakes to determine the locations, sizes, frequencies, and depths of significant 

earthquakes (accessed April 9, 2007, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1185/). In 

this catalog, we evaluated data from more than 12,700 earthquakes, and summarized historical accounts of significant earthquakes in Afghanistan that occurred as 

long ago as A.D. 738. 

Afghanistan and the surrounding region contain very few high-quality 

modern seismograph stations. As a result, it is difficult to detect and accurately 

locate earthquakes. To address this, the USGS, in cooperation with Kabul University, reestablished the Kabul seismic station (KBL) in 2006 after a 20-year hiatus. 

This station fills a critical gap in the global coverage of modern, high-sensitivity 

seismographs, and data from it are transmitted in real time to the USGS and its 

partners (fig. 2). Data from the station allow us to better determine the location, 

size, and depth of earthquakes throughout southern Asia and give us new insight 

into the characteristics and frequency of Afghanistan’s earthquakes.

The Geologic and Tectonic Setting of Earthquakes

To fully understand the causes of the modern earthquake activity, we must 

evaluate it in the context of Afghanistan’s geologic and tectonic setting. To provide this framework, the USGS has prepared a seismotectonic map that shows the 

country’s major geologic regions and fault systems and how they might be related 

to earthquakes (accessed April 9, 2007 at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1264/). 

Four distinct geologic domains are shown in figure 3; each has a different and 

complex geologic history. In these domains, there are hundreds of known faults, 

but none of the faults have been studied in sufficient detail to determine their current activity and how much they contribute to the seismic hazard. 

Mapping Probable and Possible Quaternary Faults

If faults are active and have moved in recent geologic time, evidence of 

this movement is commonly visible on the land surface. Faults that have moved 

Figure 2.  Seismogram of

a magnitude 5.0 earthquake

in the Hindu Kush region

as recorded at the newly

operating Kabul seismic

station. The excellent quality

of data from this station

makes it a valuable source

of information to accurately

locate and characterize

earthquakes throughout

southern Asia.

Photo captions: 

(Upper) Damaged structures along the trace of the

reactivated fault scarp that ruptured during the October 8,

2005, earthquake. (Photo by Dr. Takashi Nakata, Hiroshima

Institute of Technology, Japan.)

(Middle) Near-total destruction of homes on a terrace of

the Kunhar River. (Photo from U.S. Department of Defense,

provided by Lt. Col. Wiley Thompson; email: wileythompson@us.army.mil). Image accessed April 9, 2007, at

http://www.geo.oregonstate.edu/people/faculty/

yeatsr_research.htm

(Lower) Ground deformation caused by the thrust-fault scarp

that formed during the earthquake. (Photo by Dr. Takashi

Nakata, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Japan.)
multiple times during the Quaternary Period (the last 1.6 million 

years) or those that have moved in the Holocene epoch (the last 

10,000 years) pose the greatest seismic hazard. The published 

literature contains virtually no information on active faults in 

Afghanistan, so as a first step to recognize potentially active 

faults, we systematically examined satellite images of Afghanistan and created a map and database of probable and possible 

active faults (fig. 4) (accessed April 9, 2007 at http://pubs.usgs.

gov/of/2007/1103). Our analysis of these images indicates that 

a number of Afghanistan’s faults have surface features that are 

typical of active faults, but detailed field studies are now needed 

to confirm the activity and to accurately determine the slip rates 

of individual faults.

Seismic Hazard of Afghanistan

The long history of earthquakes throughout much of 

Afghanistan highlights the need to understand the level of 

hazard in various parts of the country. By combining our data 

on the locations, sizes, and frequencies of earthquakes with the 

locations and estimated activity rates of major faults, we can 

forecast the probable levels of future ground shaking. The likelihood of this shaking is represented on seismic-hazard maps; 

the maps show the probability of exceeding a certain strength 

Figure 3.  Simplified tectonic map of Afghanistan showing four structural domains of the

country (colored areas) and selected prominent fault zones (red lines). These faults and

hundreds of others not shown are zones of weakness in the Earth’s crust that could be

susceptible to movement and earthquakes.

of shaking in a 50-year time period. The hazard maps show that 

the likelihood of strong shaking in the next 50 years is highest 

in northeastern Afghanistan and along the corridor adjacent to 

the Chaman fault system (fig. 5).

The newly released seismic-hazard map of Afghanistan is 

a generalized map that is based on the limited, publicly available data. To further improve and upgrade this map, continued 

monitoring of earthquakes with modern seismic instruments is 

needed, and geologic studies are needed to accurately measure 

the rates of movement on major faults. With better information 

about earthquakes and active faults, we can refine estimates of 

the country’s seismic hazard.

Even though the seismic-hazard map is generalized, it 

provides government officials, engineers, and private companies 

who are interested in participating in Afghanistan’s growth with 

crucial information about the location and nature of seismic 

hazards. As demonstrated by the devastating Kashmir, Pakistan, earthquake in 2005, the social and economic impacts of a 

major earthquake are catastrophic and can last for years. These 

maps will allow officials to make informed decisions about the 

designs and locations of critical structures such as powerplants, 

dams, pipelines, and hospitals and will facilitate growth and 

development throughout Afghanistan by allowing facilities to be 

constructed that can better withstand strong earthquakes.

0 150 KILOMETERS

60° 62° 64° 66° 68° 70° 72° 74°

60° 62° 64° 66° 68° 70° 72° 74°

38°

36°

34°

32°

38°

36°

34°

32°

30° 30° IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

PAKISTAN

KABUL TRANSPRESSIONAL PLATE

BOUNDARY

HINDU KUSH

NORTH AFGHAN

PLATFORM

MIDDLE

AFGHANISTAN

ACCRETED

TERRANES

PAMIRS
%g

3

4

5

6

8

10

13

17

22

29

37

47

61

78

100

165

129

212

272

350

Herat Kabul

Mazar e Sarif

Kandahar

35o

30o

60o

65o

70o 75o

Chaman fault

system

Figure 5.  Generalized seismic-hazard map of Afghanistan

showing the level of shaking (peak ground acceleration measured

as a percentage of the force of gravity, (g) that is likely to occur

with a 2–percent probability in the next 50 years. This probability

is equivalent to saying that the strength of shake at a particular

site will probably be exceeded every 2,500 years. Warm colors

show higher hazard, and cool colors show lower hazard. The

strongest expected shaking is concentrated on major active faults

in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan.

Figure 4.  Shuttle-radar

topographic map of Afghanistan

showing the locations of

features thought to be probable

or possible young faults. The

Chaman fault system (shown in

red) and related faults, which

extend from south-central

Afghanistan to the northeastern

corner, are the most active and

hazardous faults. Faults shown

in red are thought to have the

highest slip rate and therefore

are the most hazardous. Faults

in green probably have lower

slip rates and are likely to be less

hazardous. Features in blue are

considered to be even less active

but may still pose a hazard.

72° 74° 70° 62° 64° 66° 68° 60°

38°

36°

34°

32°

30°

Pakistan

India

India

China

Uzbekistan Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

Iran

For More Information Contact:

Geologic Hazards Team

U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046

MS 966, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

Written by Anthony J. Crone

Graphics and layout design by Sharon Powers

This Fact Sheet is available online at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3027

The USGS Afghanistan Project

This report is USGS Afghanistan Project 

No. 155

This study was funded by an Interagency 

Agreement between the U.S. Agency for 

International Development and the U.S. 

Geological Survey.