Herat Earthquake: Zindajan District Map (October 15th update)

On October 15, 2023, at 08:06:00 (UTC+04:30), there was a significant seismic event with a magnitude of 6.3, 30 km. NNW of Herat, Afghanistan. Following these events, there were subsequent aftershocks in the vicinity of the epicenter. The USGS reports that this earthquake occurred due to thrust faulting at shallow depths, near the western edge of the Hindu Kush Mountain range. Remarkably, this event was preceded by three other earthquakes, all with a magnitude of 6.3, as recorded by the USGS:

- October 7, 2023, at11:11:03 (UTC+04:30), 33 km NNE of Zindah Jān, Afghanistan

- October 7, 2023, at 11:42:50 (UTC+04:30), 33 km NNE of Zindah Jān, Afghanistan

- October 11, 2023, at 05:11:56 (UTC+04:30), Western Afghanistan

It's noteworthy that all four of these earthquakes shared a common feature – they occurred on fault planes aligned in an east-west direction, with a dip either to the north or south. These seismic events were situated within the Eurasia plate, which is part of an intracontinental mountain range.