The Hindu Kush Mountain Range

Area of Hindu Kush on Afghanistan and Pakistan border

            Around two-thirds of Afghanistan is covered by the Hindu Kush mountain range that stretches from the north east to the south west of the country.  The Hindu Kush is a sub-range of the Himalayan Mountains that formed about 70 million years ago as the Indo-Australian Plate collided with the southern regions of the Eurasian Plate.[1] 

 

The elevation of the Hindu Kush reaches 24,580 feet at mount Nowshak in the north east and gradually declines as it moves toward the south west. Amu Darya is the lowest point in Afghanistan at 846 feet above sea level.[2]  These mountains contain mostly sedimentary and metamorphic rock that rises one fifth of an inch every year from the convergence of the two plates.[3]




The erosion caused by wind and the melting of snow in the spring creates a fine clay soil that is found in the valley floors of eastern Afghanistan.  Because the average rain fall in spring is typically less than 100 mm[4] the snow melt and run off is the primary source of water in the Hindu Kush region.  The run-off water created by the melting snow in spring can also cause serious damage in the form of flooding if the temperature rises too quickly in the early spring months.

 

Because of the Hindu Kush’s location near the convergence area of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates it is regularly hit by large earthquakes.  In recent earthquakes, damage was not only caused by strong ground shaking and surface rupture but also from landslides and liquefaction of the soil.[5]  Two of the most recent earthquakes that have originated from the Hindu Kush Mountains happened in March of 2002, both measuring 7.4 and 6.1 on the Richter scale with over 700 homes destroyed and more than 150 deaths.[6]

Near Tora Bora

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[1] http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2011/02/hindu-kush-mountains-of-afghanistan.html

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Afghanistan#Mountain_systems

[3] http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2011/02/hindu-kush-mountains-of-afghanistan.html

[4] https://ronna-afghan.harmonieweb.org/Pages/GeographyandClimateofAfghanistan.aspx

[5] http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3038/508fs3038.html

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Hindu_Kush_earthquakes