Unusually powerful M5.7 Earthquake struck on Saturday Morning 272km from Gorno-Altaysk in Russia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 15th, 2025.

Under land 272 kilometer from Gorno-Altaysk in Russia, an unusually powerful M5.7 earthquake occurred in the morning of Saturday February 15th, 2025. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities. Other nearby countries are Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Russia, 272 kilometer (169 mi) south-east of Gorno-Altaysk in Altai. 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:	Feb 15, 2025 08:48 (Hovd Time) - Feb 15, 2025 01:48 Universal Time.
Location:	242 km north of Altay, Xinjiang, China. Coordinates 50°1'8"N 88°17'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
Depth:	13 km (8 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.

Significant economic impact

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (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 YELLOW (significant). They expect an 41% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 million USD.

Roughly 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 270 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 7,590 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 210 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Russia , around 130 thousand people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In Mongolia , around 100 thousand people. Roughly 20 thousand people were exposed to shaking in China . People were exposed to shaking in Kazakhstan as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
4,670	II	Very weak	None
211,100	III	Weak	Probably none
42,820	IV	Light	Likely none
6,420	V	Moderate	Very light
7,590	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Mongolia , China , Russia and Kazakhstan are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Ölgii in Bayan-Ölgiy, Mongolia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 168 kilometer (104 mi) northwest of Ölgii. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ölgii is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
168 km (104 mi) SE from epicenter	Ölgii Bayan-Ölgiy, Mongolia.	IV Light
242 km (150 mi) S from epicenter	Altay Xinjiang, China.
256 km (159 mi) SSW from epicenter	Oymak Xinjiang, China.
270 km (168 mi) E from epicenter	Ulaangom Uvs, Mongolia.
272 km (169 mi) NW from epicenter	Gorno-Altaysk Altai, Russia.
278 km (173 mi) SSW from epicenter	Burqin Xinjiang, China.
278 km (173 mi) NW from epicenter	Mayma Altai, Russia.
291 km (181 mi) W from epicenter	Altay East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 6 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 6 places in 2 countries (Russia, Kazakhstan).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Tomsk, Tomsk, Russia: 1 person.
Öskemen, Şıgıs Ķazaķstan, Kazakhstan: 1 person.
Barnaul, Altaj, Russia: 1 person.
Biysk, Altaj, Russia: 1 person.
Zarinsk, Altaj, Russia: 1 person.
Gorno-Altaysk, Gorno-Altaj, Russia: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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.

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).

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 5.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 13 km (8 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 15/02/25 20:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.