M6.0 Earthquake 55 km SW of Kh?st, Afghanistan — June 21, 2022
2022-06-21 20:54:34 UTC (2022-06-21) · approx. 1:54 AM UTC+5 local
Felt by 85 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.2 (violent).
On June 21, 2022 at 20:54 UTC, a magnitude 6.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 55 km SW of Kh?st, Afghanistan, at a depth of 4.0 km and coordinates 33.0203°, 69.4639°. The earthquake was reported felt by 85 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.2 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a orange alert level for this event, indicating regional impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 206 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 1074, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Ster Giyan (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 15 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 8.3 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 85 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 | 18,138,469 |
| MMI 4 | light | 16,884,621 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 535,084 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 146,722 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 30,980 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 11,938 |
Earthquake Details
69.4639°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Kh?st, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck 55 km SW of Kh?st, Afghanistan on June 21, 2022 at 20:54 UTC had a depth of 4.0 km. It was felt by 85 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.2 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 33.0203°, 69.4639°, which is 55 km SW of Kh?st, Afghanistan. The nearest populated place is Ster Giyan (population 0). View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.0 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months 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 6.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000hj3u). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, June 21, 2022). M6.0 Earthquake 55 km SW of Kh?st, Afghanistan — June 21, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000hj3u/