Shallow M5.1 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon near Rustāq in Afghanistan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 7th, 2025. Last updated December 4th, 2025.

A shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake struck under land 22 kilometer from Rustāq in Afghanistan in the late afternoon of Tuesday October 7th, 2025. A significant chance that this earthquake caused casualties is predicted. Other countries near the epicenter include Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 22 kilometer (14 mi) northwest of Rustāq in Takhar. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 7, 2025 04:05PM (Kabul Time) - Oct 7, 2025 11:35 Universal Time.
Location:	22 km NW of Rustāq, Takhar, Afghanistan. Coordinates 37°17'1"N 69°40'26"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 156 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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.

Significant fatalities predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 39% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 fatalities, and a 91% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 100.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 15 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 15 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 44,460 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 10 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Afghanistan , around 5.7 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In Tajikistan , around 7.4 million people. In Uzbekistan , around 1.7 million people. People were exposed to shaking in Pakistan as well.

Nearby towns and cities

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

Rustāq in Takhar, Afghanistan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 22 kilometer (14 mi) northwest of Rustāq. The intensity of shaking and damage in Rustāq is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Dushanbe is located 160 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Kunduz is located 95 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Mazār-e Sharīf is located 236 km to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably 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 VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 September 5th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 293 km (182 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on October 26th, 2015.

In total, 58 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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 04/12/25 20:18 (). 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 us6000rfbw
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251007_0000186
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: