November 15, 1921 Earthquake: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Hindu Kush, Afghanistan on November 15, 1921 at 20:36:00 UTC, 215 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 15, 1921
- Time
- 20:36:00 UTC
- Place
- Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- Focal depth
- 215 km (134 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.500° N, 70.500° E
- Country
- Afghanistan
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
November 15, 1921, 36.5 N, 70.5 E, magnitude 8.1. 9reference #1276)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 30, 1998, Badakhshan, Takhar, Afghanistan
- February 4, 1998, Dushanbe, Rostaq, Tajikistan, Afghanistan
- March 25, 2002, Baghlan, Nahrin, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- January 31, 1991, Badakhstan, Baghlan, Laghman, Nagarhar, Afghanistan
- December 16, 1982, Northeastern, Afghanistan
- October 26, 2015, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 3, 2002, Samanghan, Kabul, Rustaq, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- June 11, 2012, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- July 13, 1990, Pik Lenina, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- December 30, 1983, Kabul, Samangan, Pakistan, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 21, 2023, Laghman, Pakistan, Afghanistan
- April 3, 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan
- June 24, 1972, Sarsangi, Narin Counties, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- October 25, 1990, Chitral, Mardan, Malakand, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- April 10, 2016, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afghanistan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1921The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1921Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3181.