Around noon of Monday March 4th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit under land 30 kilometer from Cholpon-Ata in Kyrgyzstan. Another nearby country is Kazakhstan.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Kyrgyzstan, 30 kilometer (19 mi) north-northwest of Cholpon-Ata in Issyk-Kul. 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: | Mar 4, 2024 12:22 (Bishkek Time) - Mar 4, 2024 06:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 39 km south of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Coordinates 42°54'12"N 76°58'17"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 355 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.031 . |
| 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
Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Cholpon-Ata in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. Cholpon-Ata is located 30 kilometer (19 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Almaty is located 39 km to the north. Bishkek is located 194 km to the west. Taldykorgan is located 260 km to the north-northeast.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 30 km (19 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Cholpon-Ata Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 39 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Almaty Almaty, Kazakhstan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Talghar Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 51 km (32 mi) N from epicenter |
Burunday Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 58 km (36 mi) N from epicenter |
Otegen Batyra Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 64 km (40 mi) NE from epicenter |
Esik Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 81 km (50 mi) SW from epicenter |
Balykchy Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 105 km (65 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kyzyl-Suu Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 107 km (66 mi) N from epicenter |
Konayev Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Karakol Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) W from epicenter |
Tokmok Chüy, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 173 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Kant Chüy, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Naryn Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) W from epicenter |
Bishkek Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 216 km (134 mi) SSW from epicenter |
At-Bashi Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 255 km (158 mi) W from epicenter |
Kara-Balta Chüy, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taldykorgan Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tekeli Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Chu Zhambyl, Kazakhstan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ushtobe Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Zharkent Almaty Oblysy, Kazakhstan. |
Shaking reported by 172 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 172 people have reported shaking in 11 places in 2 countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan).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: 138 people.
- Boralday, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 17 people.
- Bişkek, Bişkek, Kyrgyzstan: 5 people.
- Karasay, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 3 people.
- Energeticheskiy, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 2 people.
- Talğar, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 2 people.
- Pervomayskiy, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 1 person.
- Ķapşagay, Almaty, Kazakhstan: 1 person.
- Kirovskiy, Oņtüstik Ķazaķstan, Kazakhstan: 1 person.
- Karakol, Issık-Göl, Kyrgyzstan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 2.9 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 16 km (10 mi) east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Mar 4, 2024 12:22 (Bishkek Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
1 day later Mar 5, 2024 15:09 (Bishkek Time) | 16 km (10 mi) E from Main Shock. |
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.
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 February 25th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 223 km (139 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2024.
In total, 14 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 9 months.
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 5.3. 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 28/04/24 09:28 (). 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 us6000mglm
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240304_0000079
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
