Sonali Tiwary
A moderate earthquake originating in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region early Monday, October 5, was felt across the Kashmir Valley, northern Pakistan, and parts of Islamabad. No damage or casualties were reported. The key factor is depth: the tremor occurred more than 220 kilometres below the Earth’s surface.
India’s National Centre for Seismology reviewed the event at magnitude 4.9, with an epicentre approximately 73 kilometres southeast of Fayzabad, Afghanistan. The earthquake was recorded at 01:57 IST on October 5. Several other agencies published figures ranging from 4.9 to 5.44, reflecting differences in seismic monitoring instrumentation and processing methodology. The NCS reviewed magnitude of 4.9 is the authoritative figure for an India-facing report.
Residents across the Kashmir Valley and northern Pakistan who felt brief tremors can be reassured that no damage or casualties were reported following this earthquake. Because the seismic rupture occurred at an intermediate depth exceeding 180 kilometres below the Earth’s crust, energy dispersed broadly rather than generating the concentrated destructive shockwaves that characterise shallow surface-fault earthquakes. The tremor was reported felt across the Kashmir Valley and surrounding areas, consistent with that depth profile.
The Indian-Eurasian plate collision zone beneath the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains regularly produces earthquakes at depths of 150 to 300 kilometres. These events are detectable over very large geographical areas precisely because the energy radiates upward through thick crustal layers rather than rupturing outward along a near-surface fault line.
No tsunami threat was indicated.
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Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan · National Centre for Seismology earthquake database
