November 21, 1939 Earthquake: Afghanistan

Date

November 21, 1939

Time

11:02:00 UTC

Place

Afghanistan

Magnitude

6.9

Focal depth

220 km (137 mi)

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

36.300° N, 70.600° E

Country

Afghanistan

Damage

Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

• May 30, 1998, Badakhshan, Takhar, AfghanistanM6.6 · 4,700 deaths · $10 million · 100 km
• February 4, 1998, Dushanbe, Rostaq, Tajikistan, AfghanistanM5.9 · 2,323 deaths · 8,094 houses destroyed · 97 km
• August 31, 2025, Kunar, Nangarhar, AfghanistanM6 · 2,205 deaths · $180 million · 6,782 houses destroyed · 178 km
• March 25, 2002, Baghlan, Nahrin, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM6.1 · 1,000 deaths · 1,500 houses destroyed · 118 km
• January 31, 1991, Badakhstan, Baghlan, Laghman, Nagarhar, AfghanistanM6.4 · 848 deaths · $36 million · 38 km
• December 16, 1982, Northeastern, AfghanistanM6.6 · 500 deaths · $1 million · 144 km
• October 26, 2015, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM7.5 · 399 deaths · $109 million · 29,230 houses destroyed · 32 km
• March 3, 2002, Samanghan, Kabul, Rustaq, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM7.4 · 166 deaths · 300 houses destroyed · 25 km
• June 11, 2012, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM5.8 · 75 deaths · 143 houses destroyed · 116 km
• July 13, 1990, Pik Lenina, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM5.6 · 43 deaths · 21 km
• December 30, 1983, Kabul, Samangan, Pakistan, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM7.2 · 26 deaths · $3 million · 15 km
• March 21, 2023, Laghman, Pakistan, AfghanistanM6.5 · 19 deaths · 22 houses destroyed · 42 km
• March 19, 1997, Bajaur, Chitral, PakistanM4.9 · 15 deaths · 184 km
• April 3, 2026, Kabul, AfghanistanM5.8 · 12 deaths · 5 houses destroyed · 36 km
• June 24, 1972, Sarsangi, Narin Counties, Hindu Kush, AfghanistanM6.1 · 11 deaths · 81 km

Significant earthquakes of 1939The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1939Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 3649.