December 16, 1982 Earthquake: Northeastern, Afghanistan
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Northeastern, Afghanistan on December 16, 1982 at 00:40:48 UTC, 36 km below the surface. It killed 500 people.
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
- December 16, 1982
- Time
- 00:40:48 UTC
- Place
- Northeastern, Afghanistan
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 36 km (22 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.148° N, 69.011° E
- Country
- Afghanistan
The toll
- Deaths
- 500
- Injuries
- 3,000
- Damage
- $1 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.
450 people killed, many injured, and considerable damage in Baghlan province, Afghanistan. Felt (VI) in Dusti and Parkhar, (V) at Kulyab, and (IV) at Dushanbe, Tadzhikistan. Felt (III) at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Also felt in the Peshawar-Rawalpindi area, Pakistan. (reference #1053)
500 deaths, 3,000 injured, and $1 million damage. (reference #1250)
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
- October 26, 2015, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 3, 2002, Samanghan, Kabul, Rustaq, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- May 1, 1994, Tashiak, Termiz, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- June 9, 1956, Kabul, Afghanistan
- June 11, 2012, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 19, 1976, Shamagan Province, Hindu-Kush, Afghanistan
- July 13, 1990, Pik Lenina, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- November 2, 2025, Northern, Afghanistan
- December 30, 1983, Kabul, Samangan, Pakistan, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 21, 2023, Laghman, Pakistan, Afghanistan
- April 3, 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1982The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1982Recent 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 4957.