5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 31 km WSW of Asadābād, AfghanistanSeptember 5, 2025

2025-09-05 01:30:02 UTC (2025-09-05) · approx. 6:30 AM UTC+5 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mb)
Time01:30 UTC6:30 AM UTC+5
Depth9.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates34.817°, 70.810°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On September 5, 2025 at 01:30 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 31 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 34.8172°, 70.8104°. This earthquake was detected by 87 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 34.82°, 70.81°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.3 earthquake near 31 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mb
Depth
9.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
34.8172°N
70.8104°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000qtzt
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
432
Stations Used
87
Azimuthal Gap
47.0°
Min Station Distance
1.414°
RMS Residual
0.64 sec
Last Updated
2025-11-30 23:39:59 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Asadābād, Afghanistan?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 31 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan on September 5, 2025 at 01:30 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 34.8172°, 70.8104°, which is 31 km WSW of Asadābād, Afghanistan. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000qtzt). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, September 5, 2025). M5.3 Earthquake 31 km WSW of Asadābād, AfghanistanSeptember 5, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000qtzt/