Information message about devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, October 26, 2015

     The devastating earthquake M=7 occurred on October 26, 2015 at 09:09 GMT (12:09 Moscow time) in the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan, resulting in human casualties and destruction.
     Parameters of the earthquake have been determined in the Alert Service (AS) of Information Processing Center (IPC) of Geophysical Survey of RAS in Obninsk with station data obtained from digital and analog seismic stations of Russia, countries of CIS and from abroad. Alert message on this earthquake has been delivered in 11 min after registration to the Ministry of Emergency of the Russian Federation (EMERCOM).
     Preliminary processing has been done with data from 62 stations, accurate processing - with data 65 stations.
     Fig. 1 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Ala-Archa (∆ 6.8º), Borovoe (∆ 16.6º), Garni (∆ 20.8º), Arti (∆ 21.6º), Nalchik (∆ 22º). Fig. 2 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Kislovodsk (∆ 22.7º), Belogornoe (∆ 22.8º), Obninsk (∆ 29.9º), Pulkovo (∆ 34.8º), Lovozero (∆ 37.4º).

Figure 1
 

Figure 2
 
     IPC GS RAS also has obtained information with parameters of this event from some seismological centers, these data are given in table 1:
Table 1
NN Time in origin h-min-s (GMT) Lat degr. Lon degr. Depth km N s/st Ms/ N mb/ N I0 calc GAP Center
1 09-09-31.5 36.49 70.82  215  65  7/287.4/35767 IPC GS RAS (Accurate)
2 09-09-31.4 36.49 70.85  215  62   7.4/317101 IPC GS RAS (Preliminary)
3 09-09-32.9 36.49 70.94  215  532  Mw 7.5   21 CSEM
4 09-09-32.8 36.44 70.72  212.5  132  Mw 7.5   21 NEIC
  • IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences
  • CSEM - European - Mediterranean seismological center
  • NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service
    • Epicenter
         Fig. 3 presents with red star the epicenter of this earthquake, its origin was located in the the Hindu Kush Region, Afghanistan, at a depth of 215 km, 76 km S-S-E of Feyzabad, Afghanistan, 266 km N-E of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, 283 km N-N-W of Peshawar, Pakistan, and 295 km S-E of Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

    Figure 3
    Aftershock
         GS RAS registered 2 aftershocks M>=4.6 within 2 hours after the main shock.
    N Date   &   Time (GMT)
    yy-mm-dd hh:mm:sec    		 Lat
    degr.    		 Lon
    degr.    		 Depth
    km    		 N
    station    		 Ms/ N mb/ N Io
    calc.    		 Region
    201537042015-10-26 09:49:36.036.5370.5220034-5.0/ 17-Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan
    201537052015-10-26 11:16:16.036.5870.5320022-4.6/ 11-Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan
    Macroseismic manifestations
         According to ITAR-TASS 90 people have been killed in Afghanistan, 4 people in India and 275 people in different parts of Pakistan, thousand people suffered. Undeground shocks were felt in all major cities of Pakistan - Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and other. Several lines were damaged in Islamabad, the collapse of the building occurred in Peshawar, undeground shocks triggered landslides in Abbottabad (Figure 4). Undeground shocks were felt on the vast territory of India from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Punjab and Bihar as well as in the capital New Delhi. It was reported that in India, people in panic ran out into the streets. There is evidence of minor destruction in the far north of the country in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Telephone lines and power supply were broken in the city of Srinagar. According to GS RAS this earthquake was felt in Tajikistan: Khorog - 6 MSK, Dushanbe - 5-6 MSK; in Kyrgyzstan: Osh - 4 MSK, Bishkek, Naryn - 3 MSK; Kazakhstan: Shymkent - 4 MSK, Taraz, Almaty - 3 MSK; in Russia: Novosibirsk, Barnaul - 2 MSK. Fig. 5 was obtained from USGS NEIC, it presents USGS Community Internet Intensity Map made by 713 responses in 186 cities.

    Figure 4
    Figure 5
    Historical records
         The earthquake has occurred in the Hindu Kush high seismic active region, on the collision border of two plates - the Eurasian and Indian. Numerous earthquakes are registered in this area both within the earth's crust and at depths of up to 330 km. Epicenter of this earthquake is located 88 km E-N-E of destructive earthquake's epicenter observed on March 3, 2002 М=6.9 and 234 km N-E of destructive earthquake's epicenter observed on March 25, 2002 М=6. More than 2000 people were killed that time, Nahrin town was destroyed.
    Focal mechanism and seismic moment of the earthquake
         Focal mechanism solution of the origin was obtained in IPC GS RAS with signs of initial arrivals of P waves at 90 stations, 65 of them registered compression waves (plus signs), 25 registered tensile waves (minus signs). These stations are located in the interval of epicentral distances 2-100º and azimuth alignment Az = 0-359º. Focal mechanism in stereographic projection at lower hemisphere is shown in Fig. 6, elements of the mechanism are given in Table 2. Fig. 7, 8 present focal mechanism solutions obtained in USGS NEIC with W-phase Moment Tensor (Mww) technique and in Quick CMT Catalog Center, USA obtained with CMT technique. Solutions obtained in different centers are close. The earthquake has occurred under the action of prevailing compression stresses oriented south, south-west and tensile stresses oriented North-East and North-West. Nodal plane NP1 in all solutions is nearly vertical (DP=60-71º), nodal plane NP2 is flatter (DP=19-36º). Nodal plane NP1 strikes S–E (STK=104-110º), nodal plane NP2 strikes to the W, N-W (STK=280-327º). The type of motion for steeply dipping NP1 plane – reverse fault (with minor left latteral slip component), for NP2 plane – thrust-reverse fault. According to USGS NEIC – Mo=2.17*10**20N*m, Mw=7.5, according to СМТ – Mo=2.17*10**20 N*m, Mw=7.5.
    Table 2
    Axes of main strengths Nodal planes Center
    T P N NP1 NP2
    Pl Azm Pl Azm Pl Azm Stk Dp Slip Stk Dp Slip
    6833912215 181211106069327 36121IPC GS RAS
    641926196 12871077191284 1987NEIC
    661624193 12831046991280 2186Quick CMT
  • IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences
  • NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service
  • Quick CMT - Quick CMT catalog

    • Figure 6
    Figure 7

    Figure 8


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