November 14, 1937 Earthquake: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Hindu Kush, Afghanistan on November 14, 1937 at 10:58:12 UTC, 240 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 14, 1937
- Time
- 10:58:12 UTC
- Place
- Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 240 km (149 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.500° N, 70.500° E
- Country
- Afghanistan
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
November 14, 1937, 10:58:12 UTC, 36.5 N, 70.5 E, depth 240 km, magnitude 7.2. (reference #130)
November 14, 1937, 10:58:12 UTC, 36.5 N, 70.5 E, depth 240 km, magnitude 7.2. (reference #88)
November 14, 1937, Hindukush earthquake with intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which could destroy towns or devastate districts: the acceleration of the ground in these cases exceeds 5 feet per sec per sec. (reference #1216)
November 14, 1937, 36.5 N, 70.5 E, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan, depth 240 km, magnitude 7.2, intensity VII, aftershocks were felt up to November 21, 1937. (reference #1212)
November 14, 1937, 36.5 N, 70.5 E, magnitude 7.2, deep focus. (reference #1100)
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 1937The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1937Recent 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 3602.