M 6.3 - 34 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan

Tectonic Summary

The October 15, 2023 M 6.3 earthquake near Herat, Afghanistan, occurred as the result of thrust faulting at shallow depths near the far western terminus of the Hindu Kush mountain range. This earthquake was preceded by three other M 6.3 earthquakes in the previous days. One M6.3 occurred on October 11th and two others occurred about 30 minutes apart on October 7th . All four earthquakes occurred on east-west striking fault planes that dip to either the north or south. The earthquakes occurred within the Eurasia plate in an intracontinental mountain belt.

Earthquakes in Afghanistan and its surrounding regions are common due to the complex and active interactions between the Arabia, Eurasia, and India plates. Earthquakes in western and central Afghanistan are primarily influenced by the northward movement of the Arabia plate relative to the Eurasia plate. Since 1920, seven other earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger have occurred within 250 km of the October 7 earthquake, all within Iran. These previous earthquakes included a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in May 1997 that caused 1,567 fatalities, and a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in November 1979.