Shallow M5.8 Earthquake hit 135km from Dushanbe in Tajikistan on Thursday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 22nd, 2023. Last updated May 21st, 2023.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake struck under land 135 kilometer from Dushanbe in Tajikistan in the night of Thursday March 23rd, 2023. Around 21 million people have been exposed to shaking. Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Tajikistan, 135 kilometer (84 mi) north-east of Dushanbe. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 23, 2023 02:07 (Bishkek Time) - Mar 22, 2023 20:07 Universal Time.
Location:	135 km NE of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Coordinates 39°22'59"N 69°53'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	12 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 3 people injured, 324 houses damaged and many livestock killed in Nohiyai Kuhistoni Mastchoh. One building damaged at Leylek, Kyrgyzstan

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 99% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 21 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 21 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 8,200 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 14 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 5 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 8 million people were exposed to shaking in Tajikistan , with level VI (strong shaking, probably light damage) as the highest recorded. In Uzbekistan , around 12 million people. Other countries where people were exposed to shaking include Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.

Nearby towns and cities

6 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , Kazakhstan and Afghanistan . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Turkmenistan.

Located 60 kilometer (37 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Razzakov (Batken, Kyrgyzstan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Razzakov is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Tashkent is located 217 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Dushanbe is located 135 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Namangan is located 235 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 75 people in 6 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 75 people have reported shaking in 39 places in 6 countries (Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Tashkent, Taschkent, Uzbekistan: 19 people.
• Dushanbe, Dushanbe, Tajikistan: 9 people.
• Samarkand, Samarkand, Uzbekistan: 7 people.
• Khujand, Sughd, Tajikistan: 2 people.
• Oş, Oş, Kyrgyzstan: 2 people.
• Navabadski, Karotegin, Tajikistan: 2 people.
• Salor, Taschkent, Uzbekistan: 2 people.
• Guliston, Sirdaryo, Uzbekistan: 1 person.
• Sirdaryo, Sirdaryo, Uzbekistan: 1 person.
• Bekobod, Taschkent, Uzbekistan: 1 person.

4 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 7 hrs later 16 km (10 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 9th, 2018, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 296 km (184 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on December 7th, 2015.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 21/05/23 11:37 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000jm0r
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230322_0000221
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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