A shallow M4.5 earthquake struck under land 68 kilometer from Bandar Abbas in Iran in the evening of Monday November 20th, 2023. Other nearby countries are Oman and United Arab Emirates.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Iran, 68 kilometer (42 mi) north-east of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 20, 2023 19:07 (Tehran Time) - Nov 20, 2023 15:37 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 68 km NE of Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran. Coordinates 27°39'54"N 56°42'49"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 80 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Iran , Oman and United Arab Emirates .
Located 68 kilometer (42 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Bandar Abbas (Hormozgan, Iran) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Bandar Abbas is located 68 km to the southwest. Sharjah is located 289 km to the south-southwest. Kerman is located 293 km to the north.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 68 km (42 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bandar Abbas Hormozgan, Iran. |
| 70 km (43 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Mīnāb Hormozgan, Iran. |
| 91 km (57 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Qeshm Hormozgan, Iran. |
| 171 km (106 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Khasab Musandam Governorate, Oman. |
| 219 km (136 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bandar-e Lengeh Hormozgan, Iran. |
| 222 km (138 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ras Al Khaimah City Raʼs al Khaymah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 223 km (139 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Sirjan Kerman, Iran. |
| 227 km (141 mi) NE from epicenter |
Bam Kerman, Iran. |
| 232 km (144 mi) S from epicenter |
Dibba Al-Hisn Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 235 km (146 mi) S from epicenter |
Dibba Al-Fujairah Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 245 km (152 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Dārāb Fars, Iran. |
| 251 km (156 mi) N from epicenter |
Bardsīr Kerman, Iran. |
| 254 km (158 mi) W from epicenter |
Gerāsh Fars, Iran. |
| 260 km (162 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Umm Al Quwain City Imārat Umm al Qaywayn, United Arab Emirates. |
| 262 km (163 mi) S from epicenter |
Khawr Fakkān Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 277 km (172 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Adh Dhayd Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ajman City Ajman, United Arab Emirates. |
| 284 km (176 mi) S from epicenter |
Reef Al Fujairah City Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 286 km (178 mi) S from epicenter |
Al Fujairah City Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NW from epicenter |
Neyrīz Fars, Iran. |
| 289 km (180 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sharjah Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. |
| 293 km (182 mi) N from epicenter |
Kerman Kerman, Iran. |
| 294 km (183 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kīsh Hormozgan, Iran. |
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days later 12 km (7 mi) north of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.5 |
Nov 20, 2023 19:07 (Tehran Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
22 hrs later Nov 21, 2023 16:46 (Tehran Time) | 42 km (26 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 days later Nov 23, 2023 11:07 (Tehran Time) | 12 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 13th, 2023, when a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 63 km (39 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on November 14th, 2021.
In total, 193 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 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 19 days.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/11/23 00:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000lpmb
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231120_0000157
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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