An earthquake of 4.4 magnitude has struck Fayzabad in Afghanistan; the earthquake was located at 151 kilometres South-Southeast (SSE) of Fayzabad.

New Delhi: In the last few months, several earthquakes have struck different parts of the world causing grave destruction and loss of life. In a latest news update, an earthquake of magnitude 4.4 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan’s Fayzabad on Monday morning, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred around 08:04:05 (IST) at a depth of 180 kilometres. The quake was located at 151 kilometres South-Southeast (SSE) of Fayzabad. “Earthquake of Magnitude:4.4, Occurred on 11-12-2023, 08:04:05 IST, Lat: 35.77 & Long: 70.91, Depth: 180 Km, Location: 151km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan,” the NCS posted on X.

Earthquakes In Afghanistan

This is not the first time that Fayzabad, Afghanistan is being hit by an earthquake in this year. Last month, another earthquake of magnitude 4.5 magnitude struck Fayzabad in the first week. “Earthquake of Magnitude:4.5, Occurred on 05-11-2023, 01:25:36 IST, Lat: 37.64 & Long: 74.21, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 328km ENE of Fayzabad,” NCS posted on X (formerly Twitter). Notably, in October, a deadly earthquake in the Herat province of Afghanistan claimed more than 4,000 lives and destroyed thousands of residential houses. Herat and surrounding regions were shaken by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks.

Union Minister On Reason For Earthquakes In India

In another news, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju gave a written reply in the Lower House of the Parliament during the Winter Session 2023, to the question about why India experienced so many earthquakes in the months that went by. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju said the activation of the Almora fault in western Nepal was the reason for earthquakes in parts of north India and Nepal, which led to a 5.8 magnitude quake on January 24 and 6.2 and 6.4 magnitude temblors on October 3 and November 3, respectively. These mainshocks, accompanied by subsequent aftershocks, led to an increased frequency of earthquakes in 2023, Rijiju said, adding that the background seismicity remained unchanged during this period.

The minister said northern India and Nepal experienced 97 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 to 3.9 from January to November against 41 quakes each in 2022 and 2021 and 42 in 2020. He said the region experienced 21 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0-4.9 from January-November against 20 in 2022 and 18 each in 2021 and 2020. “It is common for northern India and Nepal to occasionally experience moderate earthquakes, and fluctuations in seismic activity. Nepal and the neighbouring northern part of India, situated near the active faults of the Himalayan region, are highly seismically active areas prone to frequent earthquakes due to collision tectonics, where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate,” he said.