Earthquakes

Earthquakes:

Afghanistan is not new to earthquake, Geophysicists claim that the region around the Hindu Kush is prone to earthquakes, due to near collision of the Eurasian and Indian plates. The strongest recorded earthquake till date to have hit the region was on March 14 1965, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. Afghanistan interior Ministry claimed that no casualties and financial damages were reported. Shakes were felt in North West India and Pakistan.

• v  Magnitude 7.8
• v  P-wave Magnitude 6.9
• v  Surface-wave magnitude 7.3
• v  Focal Depth 219 KM
• v  Latitude 36.2999
• v  Longitude 70.699997

http://earthquakes.findthedata.com/l/3838/Afghanistan

Achievements so far

v  Organized Workshops on Policy dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction at provincial levels
v  Community Awareness raised with the cooperation UNAMA and UN Habitat
v  Establishing of Training Center for Disaster Management with the cooperation of INWENT
v  Disaster Information Management System set up with cooperation of AIMS
v  National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) working 24 hours
v  Emergency communication system set up between NEOC and all Provinces
v  Website DDP launched with the cooperation of AIMS
v  Training workshops were held for developing ministerial, provincial and district level disaster management plans with cooperation of SEEDS, India.
v   Held disaster management training courses at National and Provincial levels with cooperation of INWENT and ADPC

http://nidm.gov.in/Workshop%20in%20PDF/Day%201/Country%20Presentation/Dr.%20Adbul%20matin%20Adrak%20-%20Afghanistan.pdf

Boundary Plate

Boundary Plates,

Afghanistan is situated on a major plate boundary. The location of the country is on the boundary where two tectonic plates, the Iranian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, meet. To the south of Afghanistan, the Indian Plate moves northwards and to the north the Eurasian Plate moves south-eastwards. The collision resulting from the movement of the plates has been under way for 50 million years. Due to this, Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes. Both the Iranian Plate and the Eurasian Plate consists of continental crust, which can neither sink nor be destroyed. As a result, the rocks between the two plates are forced upwards to form mountains. The constant movement of the Iranian Plate results in an increase in pressure. The earthquake on February 4, 1998 was caused by this increase in pressure.

Add caption

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3027/pdf/FS07-3027_508.pdf

http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2013/04/afghanistan-earthquake-18677.html

Minerals, and rocks

Antique Silver Lapis Necklace from Afghanistan 

It is estimated that forty million years ago the tectonic plates of India-Europe, Asia and Africa collided in a massive upheaval. This upheaval created the region of towering mountains that now includes Afghanistan. This diverse geological foundation has resulted in a significant mineral heritage with over 1,400 mineral occurrences recorded to date, including gold, copper, lithium, uranium, iron ore, cobalt, natural gas and oil. Helmand, one of the largest cities in Afghanistan, is extremely rich in natural resources such as: uranium, magnate, carbonate, stucco, zing quicksilver, alabaster and others, but deprived from getting benefits of these resources due to lack of mining industry.  According to New York time the existence of iron, copper, cobalt, and lithium could make Afghanistan the most mining center in the world. A small pentagon team and American geologist discovered the huge scale of Afghanistan minerals wealth which former President Hamid Karzai claimed worth 30 trillion in 2013.

 ·         Badakhshan Province 12 lapis mines

·         Copper deposit in Logar province

·         Gemstones in Nooristan province

·         Gold and oil in Paktika province

Afghanistan is the world’s leading producer of lapis-lazuli in Badakhshan province, yet nine zones have been identified for different lazurite grades. Emerald production from the deposits of the Panshjer valley in Kapisa province. Ruby from Kabul
( Capital of Afghanistan) is believed to be part of the British crown jewels. Also, Kunzite and tourmaline crystals are found in the Lagman province.  

Lazurite

Local seller of  Lapis

Natural tourmaline

Rubellitesur mine in Afghanistan 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Afghanistan

http://www.livescience.com/47682-rare-earth-minerals-found-under-afghanistan.html 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Geography of Afghani

Afghanistan in the world

Afghanistan is a landlocked and mountainous country that is usually designated as being located in Central Asia, but also part of South Asia. It connects South and East Asia with Central and Western Asia. The country is the 41st largest in the world in size. Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, located in the Kabul province. Strategically located at the crossroads of major trade routes, Afghanistan has attracted a succession of invaders since the sixth century BCE.

The Hindu Kush mountains, running northeast to southwest across the country, divide it into three major regions: 1) the Central Highlands, which form part of the Himalayas and account for roughly two thirds of the country's area; 2) the Southwestern Plateau, which accounts for one-fourth of the land; and 3) the smaller Northern Plains area, which contains the country's most fertile soil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Afghanistan#cite_note-8

River valley between two big cities

Paktia province

Afghanistan's location in Asia

Nooristan famous for its natural beauty 

Mountainous province Pakita 

Hazard, Disaster, and Catastrophe

Natural Hazard

The word process means the physical, chemical, biological ways of events such as earthquakes, 

volcanoes, floods, and fires shake Earth’s surface which can be defined by tectonic plates that large 

surface blocs of the solid earth, are mapped by identifying zones of earthquakes and active volcanism. Moreover, a natural hazard is natural process or event that fears people’s lives and their property. However, the process and the events are not dangerous, but the uses of land by people make them hazardous. 

Disasters 

Disaster is a hazardous event that occurs for a limited time of period within a defined area. Four

conditions have been set for disaster

1. More than 10 people are killed

2. More than 100 people are affected

3. State of emergency declared

4. Requested international assistance

Catastrophe

Catastrophe is a massive disaster that takes long time and money for recovery.