August 31, 2025 Earthquake: Kunar, Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Reference #13456:

Tectonic Summary

The magnitude 6 earthquake on August 31, 2025 occurred as the result of thrust faulting in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, near the city of Jalalabad. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth and was the result of compressive forces driven by the northward motion of the India plate colliding with and subducting beneath the Eurasia plate. Earthquakes are common in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan because of the India-Eurasia plate interactions. Since 1950, 71 other magnitude 6 or larger earthquakes occurred within 250 km of the August 31 earthquake, including six magnitude 7 and larger earthquakes.

Earthquakes in this region occur over a broad range of depths. North of the August 31earthquake, a region of seismicity, which includes each of the noted magnitude 7 earthquakes, produces earthquakes at moderate depths of 100 km or deeper. These earthquakes likely occur within the subducted India plate. The earthquakes that occur at shallower depths occur within the Eurasia plate. Given the predominant building styles in the region, all of these earthquakes can produce extensive damage. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 2015 that occurred at 231 km depth claimed 115 lives in Jalalabad. Similarly, considerably smaller yet shallower earthquakes of magnitudes 5.5 and 5.1 in 2013 and 2022, respectively, each caused around 20 fatalities in Jalalabad.

Reference #14173:

As of 04 Sept 2025: 2205 fatalities, 3640 injured, 6782 homes destroyed. Four days after the 6.0 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, the scale of destruction continues to unfold, especially in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.

Reference #1250:

2200 dead, 3700 injured

Reference #14256:

3000 dead

Reference #14257:

3000 dead, 180 million in economic loss

Reference #14321:

2217 dead, 185 million in economic loss