M5.6 Earthquake 40 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan — September 4, 2025
2025-09-04 16:56:26 UTC (2025-09-04) · approx. 9:56 PM UTC+5 local
Felt by 84 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.9 (severe).
On September 4, 2025 at 16:56 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 40 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan, at a depth of 16.5 km and coordinates 34.6972°, 70.7580°. The earthquake was reported felt by 84 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.9 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 124 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2066, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Nurgal (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 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 84 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 | 19,996,661 |
| MMI 4 | light | 31,456,962 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 2,071,979 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 791,384 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 265,142 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 20,466 |
Earthquake Details
70.7580°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Asadābād, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 40 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan on September 4, 2025 at 16:56 UTC had a depth of 16.5 km. It was felt by 84 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.9 (severe). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 34.6972°, 70.7580°, which is 40 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan. The nearest populated place is Nurgal (population 0). View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 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 5.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000qtst). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, September 4, 2025). M5.6 Earthquake 40 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan — September 4, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000qtst/