Southern Asia
What tectonic plate is Afghanistan on?
Afghanistan sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 37
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 642,054 km²
Plates under Afghanistan
Share of Afghanistan's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Afghanistan: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr).
The fastest of these is the Eurasian-Indian boundary, where the plates move about 4.7 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has frequent large earthquakes: 37 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 21 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan | M7.8 | 1921 | 240 km | Eurasian |
| 52 km ESE of Farkhār, Afghanistan | M7.7 | 1909 | 200 km | Eurasian |
| 35 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan | M7.5 | 1949 | 229 km | Eurasian |
| Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan | M7.5 | 2015 | 231 km | Eurasian |
| 51 km S of Jurm, Afghanistan | M7.4 | 1965 | 208 km | Eurasian |
| 50 km SSW of Ashkāsham, Afghanistan | M7.4 | 1911 | 100 km | Eurasian |
Volcanoes in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Afghanistan on?
Afghanistan sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.
Is Afghanistan on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Afghanistan: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr).
Does Afghanistan get earthquakes?
Afghanistan has frequent large earthquakes: 37 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 21 of 213). The largest was the M7.8 71 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan in 1921.
Are there volcanoes in Afghanistan?
Afghanistan has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.