DESTRUCTIVE M5.6 Earthquake struck on Thursday Evening near Jalālābād in Afghanistan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 4th, 2025. Last updated November 3rd, 2025.

A DESTRUCTIVE and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake struck under land 41 kilometer from Jalālābād in Afghanistan in the evening of Thursday September 4th, 2025. Earthquakes this strong in regions like this are likely to cause high numbers of casualties. Other countries near the epicenter include Pakistan and Tajikistan.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 41 kilometer (25 mi) north-east of Jalālābād in Nangarhar. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 17 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 4, 2025 09:26PM (Kabul Time) - Sep 4, 2025 16:56 Universal Time.
Location:	41 km NE of Jalālābād, Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Coordinates 34°41'50"N 70°45'29"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	17 km (10 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

High fatalities predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Two people killed, 51 injured, at least 330 homes destroyed and additional landslides in the Kunar-Laghman-Nangarhar area.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level RED (high). They expect an 37% likelyhood of between 1,000 and 10,000 fatalities, and a 97% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 10 and 100,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 91% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 55 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 55 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 20,470 people were exposed to level VIII. At this level, severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 31 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Afghanistan , around 16 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). In Pakistan , around 39 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Afghanistan , Pakistan and Tajikistan .

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Jalālābād in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Jalālābād is located 41 kilometer (25 mi) north-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Jalālābād is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kabul is located 146 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Peshawar is located 107 km to the south-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Rawalpindi is located 244 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 83 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 83 people have reported shaking in 27 places in 3 countries (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Asad Abad, Kunarhā, Afghanistan: 13 people.
• Peshawar, North-West Frontier, Pakistan: 12 people.
• Jalal Abad, Nangarhār, Afghanistan: 9 people.
• Kabul, Kabul, Afghanistan: 9 people.
• Islamabad, Federal Capital Area, Pakistan: 7 people.
• Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan: 6 people.
• Baghrami, Kabul, Afghanistan: 3 people.
• Srīnagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India: 3 people.
• Mardan, North-West Frontier, Pakistan: 2 people.
• Abottabad, North-West Frontier, Pakistan: 2 people.

12 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 12 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.2 was detected 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 14 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 6

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 August 31st, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 5 km (3 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on October 26th, 2015.

In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 6 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 03/11/25 01:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000qtst
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250904_0000272
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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