News Release
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Release Date: May 30, 2007
Contacts:
Anthony Crone, USGS
303-273-8591
acrone@xxxxxxxx
Khaleda Atta, The Embassy of Afghanistan
202-292-4286 or 202-483-6410 x8029
atta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
USGS Unveils How Earthquakes Pose Risks to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC — While human-induced rumblings have dominated life in Afghanistan for several decades, a more natural hazard may present a significant threat to this country undergoing massive restoration: earthquakes.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is located in a geologically active part of the world. Each year, Afghanistan is struck by moderate to strong earthquakes, and every few years, a powerful earthquake causes significant damage or fatalities. The seriousness of this hazard was poignantly demonstrated by the magnitude 7.6-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 8, 2005, in nearby Kashmir, Pakistan, that caused more than 80,000 fatalities and left an estimated four million people homeless. Without planning for the potential devastation that earthquakes can wreak, years of investment in restoration of Afghanistan infrastructure could be undermined in a matter of seconds.
To assist in this nation’s reconstruction efforts, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was commissioned by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to develop a preliminary Seismic Hazard Map of Afghanistan. This report incorporates data from thousands of historical earthquakes, information about active faults, and models of how earthquake energy travels through the Earth’s crust to define expected levels of ground shaking throughout the country.
The report and map was unveiled at the Afghanistan Embassy in Washington, D.C. on May 30.
“As Afghanistan rebuilds following
decades of war and strife, new construction and development need to be
designed to accommodate the strong shaking and related hazards posed by
strong earthquakes,” said USGS Director Mark Myers. “Future earthquakes
are most likely to occur in areas of numerous historical earthquakes, so
the seismically active areas generally have the highest hazard.”
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan H.E. Said Tayeb Jawad said, “For the last five years, the
government of Afghanistan in partnership with the international community
has undertaken the historic task of rebuilding our country’s devastated
infrastructure. Today marks the completion of the preliminary Seismic Hazard
Map of Afghanistan, a timely and crucial achievement for Afghanistan. The
map will help us design new roads, much needed dams and power plants, even
schools and clinics. Before Afghanistan was beset with war and violence,
the Kabul seismic station (KBL) was a source of pride for Kabul University
and one of the world’s premier seismograph stations. We are all grateful
to USGS for helping us re-establish the KBL as one of the most modern seismograph
stations in the region and a rehabilitated source of national pride.”
To help assess the hazard, the
USGS used data from more than 12,700 earthquakes in the region. This was
then augmented with a map of potentially active faults (sources of future
earthquakes) by systematically examining satellite images of the entire
country. These two datasets, together with information about how seismic
energy spreads through the Earth, were then used to construct a seismic
hazard map of the region.
One of the greatest hazards revealed
on the new map is concentrated around the Chaman fault system, which is
a major 850-km-long left-lateral strike-slip fault system that accommodates
the differential motion between the Eurasian plates in Afghanistan and
Pakistan; USGS geologists estimate slip rates along the Chaman fault system
of 10 mm/yr or more. Near Kabul, the Paghman fault, part of the Chaman
fault system, extends within 10 km of the west edge of the city. Geomorphic
evidence shows that recent movement has occurred on the Paghman fault,
and that this movement has been sustained through much of the Quaternary
(past ~2 million years).
The USGS, in cooperation with Kabul
University and the Afghan Geological Survey, has also reestablished the
Kabul seismic station (KBL) after a 20-year hiatus. This station is one
of a few modern seismograph stations in the region, and data from it provide
important new details about the location, size, and depth of earthquakes
throughout Afghanistan and southern Asia.
Dr. Harley Benz, USGS seismologist
and director of the National Earthquake Information Center, said, “Now
that the KBL station is back online with modern digital equipment we can
dramatically improve our detection of earthquakes in Afghanistan and reduce
the time to report on events from the region.” The seismic station will
also provide information that can be used to further improve future versions
of the seismic hazard map. To access a copy of the USGS fact sheet, “Earthquakes
Pose a Serious Hazard to Afghanistan,” log onto: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3027/.
USGS provides science for a changing
world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.
Subscribe to USGS News Releases
via our electronic
mailing list or RSS
feed.
**** www.usgs.gov ****
