M5.1 Earthquake near Central Afghanistan — October 5, 2021
2021-10-05 07:59:57 UTC (2021-10-05) · approx. 11:59 AM UTC+4 local
Felt by 14 people across nearby locations.
On October 5, 2021 at 07:59 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Central Afghanistan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 36.8392°, 66.6469°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Afghanistan, a region characterized by the Hindu Kush deep seismic zone, where remnant subducted lithosphere produces intermediate-depth earthquakes at 150-300 km. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 14 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
66.6469°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Central Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck near Central Afghanistan on October 5, 2021 at 07:59 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.8392°, 66.6469°, which is near Central Afghanistan. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Afghanistan had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Afghanistan was the M7.5 Hindu Kush earthquake of October 26, 2015. Today's magnitude 5.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000frum). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 5, 2021). M5.1 Earthquake near Central Afghanistan — October 5, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000frum/