Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan has, along with aftershocks, killed more than 1,000 people, making it the deadliest event of its kind in the country in two decades.
Poor infrastructure and services made dealing with the tragedy particularly difficult for the country’s Taliban authorities, who have appealed for international assistance.
A few days before the earthquake in Afghanistan, the UAE experienced a much smaller event, a 2.4-magnitude quake in Sharjah.
As reported by The National, the June 18 quake — which officials said was not felt by residents — is the latest in a series of infrequent and mostly small tremors felt in the UAE.
So why is Afghanistan — along with neighbours such as Pakistan — vulnerable to deadlier earthquakes?
How are earthquakes classified and what damage can they cause?
A key measure is the magnitude of the quake, which reflects the size of the waves the event produces.
The Richter scale classifies quakes between 1.0 and 2.9 as “micro”, 3.0 to 3.9 as “minor”, 4.0 to 4.9 as “light”, 5.0 to 5.9 as “moderate”, 6.0 to 6.9 as “strong”, 7.0 to 7.9 as “major” and 8.0 and above as “great”.
Micro earthquakes, such as the kind the UAE experienced this month, occur more than 100,000 times a year and are typically detected by local instruments — but not people.
The Afghanistan earthquake was at the upper end of the moderate category and there are between about 200 and 2,000 such events each year.
These usually cause damage only to poorly constructed buildings, which helps to explain the devastation seen in Afghanistan, as many houses and other buildings in the country are not built to survive earthquakes.
“There’s no reinforcement. There’s not even any cement [in some buildings],” said Peter Styles, professor emeritus of applied and environmental geophysics at Keele University in the UK, who has seen first-hand the damage earthquakes have caused in countries such as Pakistan.
“Unfortunately, there’s very little we can do in terms of stopping these earthquakes. The buildings fall down and you build them up again.”
By contrast, in the Gulf, building codes are more stringent, Mr Styles said, so even if an earthquake of a high magnitude were to occur, the consequences would not be as severe.
“If you have sufficient money, you can withstand a magnitude six without problems,” Mr Styles said.
Why does Afghanistan suffer more severe earthquakes?
To understand why Afghanistan, and neighbouring Pakistan, are at risk of earthquakes, it is necessary to look to India.
The earth has more than a dozen major tectonic plates and the area around Afghanistan lies close to the border of three of them — the Arabian Plate, the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The Indian Plate is moving north and colliding with the Eurasian Plate.
“India is trying to move northwards,” Mr Styles said. “It’s shaped like a gigantic wedge; it’s forcing its way into Asia. That’s why we have the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush [mountain ranges].
“These earthquakes are on the main Himalayan fault. [Afghanistan and Pakistan] are on a major tectonic boundary.”
The area that was hit is part of the Alpide Belt, which stretches all the way to the Atlantic and is one of the most seismically active regions in the world.
By contrast, the UAE's location means it is not as vulnerable to movements of tectonic plates.
“The Arabian Plate is mostly being pushed sideways because of the opening of the Red Sea. That’s a slightly different process,” Mr Styles said.
“Arabia was joined to Africa, although in the last 30 million years, Arabia has slid northwards.”
Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Syria are more likely than the UAE to experience tremors because they lie close to the border of the Arabian Plate and the African Plate. Both are migrating northwards, but the movement of the Arabian Plate is faster.
The UAE and surrounding states are “not anywhere near as vulnerable as even the western part of Saudi Arabia", Mr Styles said.
“Arabia and the Gulf states are slightly protected because the whole block is moving northwards,” he added.
Iran, however, lies in the region where the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate meet, putting it at risk of earthquakes. Like Afghanistan, it is on the Alpide Belt.
This month, Iran experienced a 5.9-magnitude quake, which was felt in the Emirates.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
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Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
The years Ramadan fell in May
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
