Information message about the strong earthquake in Afghanistan, December 25, 2015 |
| The strong earthquake M=6.8 has occurred on December 25, 2015 at 19:14 GMT (22:14 Moscow time) in Afghanistan. |
| 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 10 min after
registration to the Ministry of Emergency of the Russian Federation (EMERCOM). |
| Preliminary processing has been done with data from 30 stations, accurate processing - with data 62 stations. |
| Fig. 1 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Ala-Archa (∆ 6.7º), Makanchi Array (∆ 13.3º), Kurchatov (∆ 15.3º), Borovoye (∆ 16.6º), Jazator (∆ 17.7º). Fig. 2 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Arti (∆ 21.8º), Nalchik (∆ 22.3º), Kislovodsk (∆ 23º), Belogornoye (∆ 23.1º), Talaya (∆ 27.6º).
|
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 |
19-14-43.9 |
36.42 |
71.22 |
190 |
62 |
| 6.8/24 | 5-5.5 | | IPC GS RAS (Accurate) | | 2 |
19-14-37.8 |
36.37 |
71.06 |
100 |
30 |
| 6.8/19 | 6-6.5 | | IPC GS RAS (Preliminary) | | 3 |
19-14-47.0 |
36.52 |
71.26 |
200 |
473 |
Mw 6.2 | | | 23 | CSEM | | 4 |
19-14-47.5 |
36.5 |
71.13 |
203 |
156 |
Mw 6.3 | | | 22 | NEIC | | 5 |
19-14-47.9 |
36.52 |
71.26 |
200 |
15 |
Mw 6.2 | 6.3 | | 238 | KNDC | | 6 |
19-14-50.0 |
36.8 |
71.27 |
200 |
|
| 7.1 | | | SI "SEME CS MES RK" | |
| 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 |
| KNDC - Kazakhstan National Data Center |
| SI "SEME CS MES RK" - State Institution "Seismological Experimental and Methodical Expedition of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan" |
| Epicenter |
| Fig. 3 presents with red star the epicenter of this earthquake, its origin was located in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan, at a depth of 190 km, 95 km S-E of Feyzabad, Afghanistan, 270 km N-W of Peshawar, Pakistan, 282 km N-E of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, and 318 km S-E of Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.
|
Figure 3 |
|
| Macroseismic manifestations |
| According to ITAR TASS news agency 41 residents of the Pakistani city of Peshawar were taken to the hospital after this earthquake in Afghanistan. Editorial "Doon" informed about this fact with reference to local officials and rescuers. Also it clarifies that a few old houses were destroyed in the city. Damage assessment is under way.
The earthquake was felt in the territory of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. According to GU «COME KH MOH RK»- this earthquake was felt in Taraz and Shymkent with intensity 3 MSK. |
| Historical records |
| The epicenter of this earthquake is located 36 km E-N-E of the epicenter of the devastating earthquake registered on October 26, 2015 M=7 and 258 km S-W of epicenter of the strong earthquake registered on December 7, 2015 M=7.5. |
| Focal mechanism and seismic moment of the earthquake |
| Focal mechanism solution of the origin of earthquake was obtained in IPC GS RAS with signs of initial arrivals of P waves at 83 stations,
52 of them registered compression waves (plus signs), 31 registered tensile waves (minus signs). These stations are located in the interval of epicentral distances 2.6-100º and azimuth sector Az=1.4–358º. Focal mechanism solution in stereographic projection on the lower hemisphere is shown at fig. 4. Fig. 5 presents focal mechanism solution of the origin obtained in USGS NEIC with Moment Tensor (Mww) technique. Elements of this solution are given in table 2. Both solutions are identical.
This earthquake has occurred under tha action of compression stress oriented to the SE and the tensile stress oriented to the NW. Nodal planes decline to the horizon under the same angles (DP=42º-50º). NP1 plane strikes S-W (STK=229º-240º), NP2 plane strikes E (STK=53º- 68º). The type of motion along both planes – reverse fault (with slip component). |
| 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 |
| 86 | 238 | 0 | 146 |
4 | 56 | 240 | 45 | 95 | 53 |
45 | 85 | IPC GS RAS | | 80 | 37 | 4 | 149 |
9 | 239 | 229 | 42 | 76 | 68 |
50 | 102 | NEIC | |
| IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences |
| NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service |
Figure 4 | 
Figure 5 |
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