Earthquake of magnitude 3.9 strikes Afghanistan

Earthquake of magnitude 3.9 strikes Afghanistan

An earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck Afghanistan on Saturday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 3.9, On: 29/11/2025 21:15:31 IST, Lat: 34.66 N, Long: 70.85 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

EQ of M: 3.9, On: 29/11/2025 21:15:31 IST, Lat: 34.66 N, Long: 70.85 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.
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— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) November 29, 2025

Earlier on November 26, an earthquake of magnitude 4.6 struck Afghanistan at a depth of 10 kilometres.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.6, On: 26/11/2025 04:39:43 IST, Lat: 36.31 N, Long: 68.93 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.

Due to its mountainous surroundings, Afghanistan is prone to tremors as it is located near the meeting point between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are a highly active seismic zone.

Expertshad told Al Jazeera that the region is prone to large earthquakes.

"It's a very tectonically active area at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, and the Indian plate is moving northwards and sliding past parts of Eurasia," said Chris Elders, an emeritus professor at Curtin University's School of Earth at Planetary Sciences in Western Australia.

It is an area that "also has quite a high population density and an area that's very mountainous", meaning that earthquakes there often also trigger landslides, he said.

"It's not only the buildings that will shake and become unstable, but the hillsides will also shake and become unstable, and that is what triggers the landslide," he added, as per Al Jazeera.

In October 2023, an earthquake struck western Afghanistan, killing at least 2,400 people, according to the government there, as quoted by Al Jazeera.