Nahrin, Afghanistan Earthquake

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Posting Date: March 26, 2002, 7:30:00 AM

A powerful earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan on Monday, March 25, 2002, at 7:30 p.m. local time (15:00 UTC). A second quake hit the same region about 7 hours later, on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 at 2:15 a.m. local time (14:56 U.T.C.). The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the moment magnitude (Mw) of the first earthquake at 6.0, and the second at 5.0. Focal depth for both was estimated to be quite shallow - as little as 2.5 miles (4 km) for the first quake. Both quakes were centered near Nahrin, about 100 miles north of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The quake was felt over a wide area, from Tajikistan to northwestern Pakistan. Early reports estimate as much as 90% of Nahrin had been destroyed and more than 20,000 people were left homeless. As many as 4,000 people were injured and about 1,800 killed. These numbers may well rise. "The current magnitude 6.0 event involved a north-south fault where, because of crustal stress, one side of the fault was pushed up against the other side at an angle of about 45 degrees to the horizontal," said Dr. Mohammad Yazd, Director of Earthquake Research and Modeling at AIR. "The Hindu Kush-Pamir region is the site of the final stage of oceanic lithosphere subduction along the collision boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates," he added. AIR will continue to monitor events in this area.

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Posting Date: March 26, 2002, 7:30:00 AM