M5.9 Earthquake 44 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan — October 16, 2024
2024-10-16 18:56:51 UTC (2024-10-16) · approx. 11:56 PM UTC+5 local
Felt by 8 people across nearby locations.
On October 16, 2024 at 18:56 UTC, a magnitude 5.9 intermediate depth earthquake struck 44 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan, at a depth of 205.0 km and coordinates 36.5224°, 70.5681°. The earthquake was reported felt by 8 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.5 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 134 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 539, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Darqad (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 11 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 7.1 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
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 8 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 11,721,797 |
Earthquake Details
70.5681°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Jurm, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck 44 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan on October 16, 2024 at 18:56 UTC had a depth of 205.0 km. It was felt by 8 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.5 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.5224°, 70.5681°, which is 44 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan. The nearest populated place is Darqad (population 0). View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.9 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 5.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000nz5n). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, October 16, 2024). M5.9 Earthquake 44 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan — October 16, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000nz5n/