M4.9 Earthquake hit 288km from Kabul in Afghanistan on Wednesday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 15th, 2023. Last updated December 8th, 2023.

A M4.9 earthquake struck under land 288 kilometer from Kabul in Afghanistan in the early morning of Wednesday November 15th, 2023. Other countries near the epicenter include Tajikistan and Pakistan.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 288 kilometer (179 mi) north-east of Kabul. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 119 km.

Date and Time:	Nov 15, 2023 05:05 (Dushanbe Time) - Nov 15, 2023 00:05 Universal Time.
Location:	41 km SW of Ishqoshim, Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Coordinates 36°25'57"N 71°19'34"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 .
Depth:	119 km (74 mi) An intermediate depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Tajikistan , Afghanistan and Pakistan are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Ishqoshim in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 41 kilometer (25 mi) southwest of Ishqoshim.

Major cities near this earthquake: Kabul is located 288 km to the southwest. Peshawar is located 271 km to the south. Battagram is located 248 km to the south-east.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 19 km (12 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 13th, 2023, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 247 km (153 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on October 26th, 2015.

In total, 168 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 22 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 08/12/23 01:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000lngc
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231115_0000001
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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