Under land 7 kilometer from Baghlān in Afghanistan, a significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Thursday October 1st, 2026. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan are also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 7 kilometer (4 mi) south-east of Baghlān in Baghlan. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 50 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 1, 2026 05:59AM (Kabul Time) - Oct 1, 2026 01:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 7 km SE of Baghlān, Baghlan, Afghanistan. Coordinates 36°5'57"N 68°46'54"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 92 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 . |
| Depth: | 50 km (31 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
Afghanistan , Tajikistan , Uzbekistan and Pakistan are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Baghlān in Baghlan, Afghanistan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 7 kilometer (4 mi) south-east of Baghlān.
Major cities near this earthquake: Kabul is located 178 km to the south. Baghlān is located 7 km to the northwest. Dushanbe is located 271 km to the north.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 7 km (4 mi) NW from epicenter |
Baghlān Baghlan, Afghanistan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) S from epicenter |
Pul-e Khumrī Baghlan, Afghanistan. |
| 32 km (20 mi) E from epicenter |
Nahrīn Baghlan, Afghanistan. |
| 70 km (43 mi) N from epicenter |
Kunduz Kunduz, Afghanistan. |
| 71 km (44 mi) NE from epicenter |
Khanabad Kunduz, Afghanistan. |
| 71 km (44 mi) W from epicenter |
Aībak Samangan, Afghanistan. |
| 98 km (61 mi) NE from epicenter |
Taloqan Takhar, Afghanistan. |
| 110 km (68 mi) SE from epicenter |
Bāzārak Panjshir, Afghanistan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) S from epicenter |
Jabal os Saraj Parwan, Afghanistan. |
| 118 km (73 mi) NW from epicenter |
Khulm Balkh, Afghanistan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) N from epicenter |
Qarāwul Kunduz, Afghanistan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) S from epicenter |
Charikar Parwan, Afghanistan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ārt Khwājah Takhar, Afghanistan. |
| 148 km (92 mi) NE from epicenter |
Rustāq Takhar, Afghanistan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mazār-e Sharīf Balkh, Afghanistan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) N from epicenter |
Farkhor Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) N from epicenter |
Kolkhozobod Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bāmyān Bamyan, Afghanistan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) N from epicenter |
Moskovskiy Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) S from epicenter |
Paghmān Kabul, Afghanistan. |
| 178 km (111 mi) S from epicenter |
Kabul Kabul, Afghanistan. |
| 180 km (112 mi) N from epicenter |
Vakhsh Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tirmiz Surxondaryo, Uzbekistan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NW from epicenter |
Balkh Balkh, Afghanistan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) NE from epicenter |
Chubek Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 193 km (120 mi) N from epicenter |
Bokhtar Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NE from epicenter |
Fayzabad Badakhshan, Afghanistan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Hulbuk Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SE from epicenter |
Mehtar Lām Laghman, Afghanistan. |
| 213 km (132 mi) W from epicenter |
Sang-e Chārak Sar-e Pol, Afghanistan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kŭlob Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bāzār-e Yakāwlang Bamyan, Afghanistan. |
| 227 km (141 mi) N from epicenter |
Danghara Khatlon, Tajikistan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sho‘rchi Surxondaryo, Uzbekistan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) S from epicenter |
Baraki Barak Logar, Afghanistan. |
| 240 km (149 mi) SE from epicenter |
Jalālābād Nangarhar, Afghanistan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
Denov Surxondaryo, Uzbekistan. |
| 254 km (158 mi) SE from epicenter |
Asadābād Kunar, Afghanistan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) W from epicenter |
Sar-e Pul Sar-e Pol, Afghanistan. |
| 263 km (163 mi) E from epicenter |
Ishqoshim Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 263 km (163 mi) N from epicenter |
Boshkengash Dushanbe, Tajikistan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter |
Dushanbe Dushanbe, Tajikistan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter |
Hisor Republican Subordination, Tajikistan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Tursunzoda Republican Subordination, Tajikistan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) NW from epicenter |
Boysun Surxondaryo, Uzbekistan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Vahdat Republican Subordination, Tajikistan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Shibirghān Jowzjan, Afghanistan. |
| 281 km (175 mi) S from epicenter |
Gardez Paktia, Afghanistan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) S from epicenter |
Ghazni Ghazni, Afghanistan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter |
Khorugh Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) E from epicenter |
Upper Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:
- Kabul, Kabul, Afghanistan: 1 person.
- Mazar-e Sharif, Balẖ, Afghanistan: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 July 1st, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 157 km (97 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on March 21st, 2023.
In total, 34 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 4 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 50 km (31 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 01/10/26 22:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tyny
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261001_0000024
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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