Afghanistan Hit by Shallow 4.3 Magnitude Quake; Experts Warn of Aftershocks

Afghanistan continues to feel the tremors of its fragile geology. On Wednesday, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck the country at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). The quake, recorded at 14:43 IST, was centred at latitude 37.33°N and longitude 69.93°E.

Seismologists warn that shallow quakes like this one can cause stronger ground shaking than those that occur deeper underground, heightening the risk of damage and aftershocks. The latest tremor follows another earthquake of magnitude 3.7 that shook Afghanistan on October 24 at a depth of 80 kilometres.

Just weeks earlier, the United Nations had sounded the alarm over Afghanistan's mounting seismic crises. It issued an emergency appeal for nearly USD 140 million to assist around 457,000 people devastated by earlier quakes in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar.

Afghanistan's geography leaves it dangerously exposed to such disasters. The nation straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide - one of the most active seismic fault lines on Earth. In the Hindu Kush and Pamir ranges, immense underground pressure causes the Earth's crust to fold and fracture, triggering frequent and sometimes deep-focus earthquakes that few other regions experience.