Frequent Earthquakes in Afghanistan

October 20, 2023

GS Paper I Geography

Context:

Recently, the Multiple earthquakes have hit Afghanistan.

Earthquakes in Afghanistan: Why do earthquakes frequently occur in Afghanistan?

Location: Afghanistan is located over multiple fault lines in the region where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet. These plates collide often, leading to significant tectonic activity in the region.

Earthquakes in Afghanistan

Northward movement of the Indian Plate: The northward movement of the Indian Plate towards the Eurasian Plate causes compression, uplifting the Himalayas and generating tectonic stress that deforms the crust and creates earthquakes through fault movements.
Active Fault Systems: Afghanistan is also crisscrossed by various active fault systems like the Chaman Fault and the Main Pamir Thrust. These faults are the sources of many earthquakes in the region.
Tectonic Plates cause earthquakes in Hindu Kush and Pamir Knot: Afghanistan is situated in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

What is Fault?

A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock.
Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other. This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake
- An active fault is a fault that is likely to have another earthquake sometime in the future.

Tectonic plates

Tectonic plates are gigantic pieces of the Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle.
They are made up of oceanic crust and continental crust.

News Source: The Hindu

Mains Question (2021): Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades.

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