Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck on Friday Afternoon 235km from Battagram in Pakistan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 17th, 2025. Last updated November 8th, 2025.

Under land 235 kilometer from Battagram in Pakistan, a shallow and significant MAG-5.5 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Friday October 17th, 2025. Around 3.7 million people have been exposed to shaking. Other countries near the epicenter include Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Pakistan, 235 kilometer (146 mi) north of Battagram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 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:	Oct 17, 2025 17:15 (Dushanbe Time) - Oct 17, 2025 12:15 Universal Time.
Location:	235 km north of Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Coordinates 36°46'56"N 72°45'37"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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.

Minimal impact predicted

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 GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 3.7 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 3.7 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 840 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Pakistan , around 2.9 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). In Afghanistan , around 550 thousand people. In Tajikistan , around 250 thousand people. Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of China too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
1,554,000	II	Very weak	None
2,024,000	III	Weak	Probably none
108,500	IV	Light	Likely none
840	V	Moderate	Very light
0	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

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Tajikistan , Pakistan and Afghanistan .

Ishqoshim in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 102 kilometer (63 mi) east of Ishqoshim. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ishqoshim is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Battagram is located 235 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Muzaffarābād is located 276 km to the south-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Mingora is located 226 km to the south (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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
102 km (63 mi) W from epicenter	Ishqoshim Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.	III Weak
133 km (83 mi) NW from epicenter	Khorugh Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.	III Weak
152 km (94 mi) SSW from epicenter	Thal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.	III Weak
192 km (119 mi) SSW from epicenter	Upper Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) W from epicenter	Fayzabad Badakhshan, Afghanistan.	III Weak
226 km (140 mi) S from epicenter	Mingora Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
232 km (144 mi) SSW from epicenter	Āsmār Kunar, Afghanistan.	II Weak
235 km (146 mi) S from epicenter	Battagram Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
251 km (156 mi) SSW from epicenter	Bat Khela Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
257 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter	Asadābād Kunar, Afghanistan.
263 km (163 mi) W from epicenter	Rustāq Takhar, Afghanistan.
275 km (171 mi) S from epicenter	Mansehra Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
276 km (171 mi) SSE from epicenter	Muzaffarābād Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
286 km (178 mi) WNW from epicenter	Chubek Khatlon, Tajikistan.
287 km (178 mi) W from epicenter	Taloqan Takhar, Afghanistan.
292 km (181 mi) WNW from epicenter	Kŭlob Khatlon, Tajikistan.
294 km (183 mi) SSW from epicenter	Tangi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
294 km (183 mi) SSW from epicenter	Mardan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
294 km (183 mi) W from epicenter	Ārt Khwājah Takhar, Afghanistan.
296 km (184 mi) S from epicenter	Abbottabad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
297 km (185 mi) S from epicenter	Swabi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
298 km (185 mi) WNW from epicenter	Hulbuk Khatlon, Tajikistan.

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 VI.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Pakistan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Islamabad, Federal Capital Area, Pakistan: 1 person.

6 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 6 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 17 km (11 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Oct 17, 2025 17:15 (Dushanbe Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.4	1 hr later Oct 17, 2025 18:23 (Dushanbe Time)	13 km (8 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	3 hrs later Oct 17, 2025 19:50 (Dushanbe Time)	12 km (8 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	23 hrs later Oct 18, 2025 15:51 (Dushanbe Time)	29 km (18 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	2 days later Oct 19, 2025 10:42 (Dushanbe Time)	50 km (31 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	2 days later Oct 19, 2025 18:59 (Dushanbe Time)	17 km (11 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	2 days later Oct 20, 2025 02:57 (Dushanbe Time)	14 km (9 mi) ENE 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.

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 September 4th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 294 km (183 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on October 26th, 2015.

In total, 31 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 4 months.

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 5.5. 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 08/11/25 14:48 (). 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.