On Tuesday Night a Shallow M4.9 Earthquake struck near Jalālābād in Afghanistan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 25th, 2026. Last updated August 26th, 2026.

In the early morning of Tuesday August 25th, 2026, a shallow MAG-4.9 earthquake hit under land 4 kilometer from Jalālābād in Afghanistan. A significant chance that this earthquake caused casualties is predicted. Pakistan and Tajikistan are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 4 kilometer (2 mi) north of Jalālābād in Nangarhar. 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:	Aug 25, 2026 05:48AM (Kabul Time) - Aug 25, 2026 01:18 Universal Time.
Location:	4 km north of Jalālābād, Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Coordinates 34°27'43"N 70°27'47"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 58 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
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 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 97% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 1,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 54 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 54 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 116,300 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 27 million) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Afghanistan , around 17 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Roughly 37 million people were exposed to shaking in Pakistan .

Nearby towns and cities

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

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Jalālābād in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Jalālābād is located 4 kilometer (2 mi) north of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Jalālābād is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Jalālābād is located 4 km to the south and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Kabul is located 119 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Peshawar is located 114 km to the south-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

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 VI.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Afghanistan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Jalal Abad, Nangarhār, Afghanistan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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 August 18th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 234 km (145 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on March 21st, 2023.

In total, 126 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 29 days.

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 26/08/26 06:38 (). 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 us6000tna9
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260825_0000021
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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