DESTRUCTIVE M7.0 Earthquake hit 136km from Aksu in China on Tuesday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 22nd, 2024. Last updated March 22nd, 2024.

Just after midnight of Tuesday January 23rd, 2024, a DESTRUCTIVE and very strong Magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit under land 136 kilometer from Aksu in China. Earthquakes like this pose a high risk at damage and significant risk to cause loss of life. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in China, 136 kilometer (85 mi) west of Aksu in Xinjiang. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 23, 2024 00:09 (Bishkek Time) - Jan 22, 2024 18:09 Universal Time.
Location:	136 km west of Aksu, Xinjiang, China. Coordinates 41°15'20"N 78°39'14"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.0 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	13 km (8 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this epicenter appears to have hit under land, making this less likely. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant impact predicted

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

At least 3 people killed, 6 injured, 93 buildings destroyed, 851 damaged and 910 livestock killed in Aqchi; 1 person injured, 1,000 buildings damaged and power outages occurred in Uqturpan. At least 67 people injured and 44 buildings damaged in Kazakhstan. At least 100 buildings damaged and rockslides blocked roads in Kyrgyzstan. Two high-rise buildings damaged at Kurgan, Russia.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 36% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 1,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level RED (high). They expect an 33% likelyhood of between 1,000 and 10,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 93% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 10 and 100,000 million USD.

Roughly 12 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 12 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,040 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 9 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 8 million people were exposed to shaking in China , with level VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage) as the highest recorded. In Kyrgyzstan , around 0.9 million people. Roughly 3.5 million people were exposed to shaking in Kazakhstan .

Nearby towns and cities

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

Located 132 kilometer (82 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kyzyl-Suu (Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan) is the nearest significant population center. Kyzyl-Suu experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Almaty is located 264 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Aksu is located 136 km to the east and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Bishkek is located 380 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IX.

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 466 people in 7 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 466 people have reported shaking in 32 places in 7 countries (Tajikistan, India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Almaty, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 236 people.
• Bişkek, Bişkek, Kyrgyzstan: 128 people.
• Boralday, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 14 people.
• Astana, Aqmola, Kazakhstan: 10 people.
• Karasay, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 8 people.
• Kant, Çuy, Kyrgyzstan: 8 people.
• Pervomayskiy, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 8 people.
• Talğar, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 4 people.
• Esik, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 4 people.
• Karakol, Issık-Göl, Kyrgyzstan: 4 people.

116 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 116 smaller aftershocks. Just 5 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.8 was detected 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Low Tsunami Risk

There is a low tsunami risk following this earthquake, as it appears the epicenter was under land far away from the coast. However this was a very strong earthquake at a shallow depth that would have a very high risk at causing tsunami's if it would have occurred under sea. Stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 22/03/24 00:58 (). 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 us7000lsze
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240122_0000109
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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