Under land 19 kilometer from Zahedan in Iran, a shallow MAG-4.6 earthquake occurred in the night of Tuesday November 21st, 2023. Afghanistan is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Iran, 19 kilometer (12 mi) east-southeast of Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchestan. 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 21, 2023 00:44 (Tehran Time) - Nov 20, 2023 21:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 19 km ESE of Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. Coordinates 29°27'15"N 61°3'19"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 85 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 . |
| 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
Iran and Afghanistan are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 19 kilometer (12 mi) east-southeast of Zahedan.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Zahedan is located 19 km to the west-northwest. Zābol is located 180 km to the north-northeast. Iranshahr is located 253 km to the south.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 19 km (12 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Zahedan Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. |
| 138 km (86 mi) S from epicenter |
Khāsh Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. |
| 180 km (112 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zābol Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zaranj Nimroz, Afghanistan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) S from epicenter |
Iranshahr Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. |
| 265 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Bam Kerman, Iran. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Khāsh Nimroz, Afghanistan. |
Shaking reported by 14 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in one place in Iran.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Dosab, Sīstān-e Balūchestān, Iran: 14 people.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 23rd, 2022, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 122 km (76 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck on September 7th, 2018.
In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 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 year.
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 4.6. 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 02/12/23 22:08 (). 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 us6000lpp3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231120_0000196
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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