A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck under land 129 kilometer from Türkmenbaşy in Turkmenistan in the morning of Tuesday December 23rd, 2025. Another nearby country is Azerbaijan.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Turkmenistan, 129 kilometer (80 mi) northwest of Türkmenbaşy in Balkan. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 57 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 23, 2025 09:32 (Ashgabat Time) - Dec 23, 2025 04:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 158 km ENE of Baku, Baki, Azerbaijan. Coordinates 40°41'16"N 51°42'53"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 72 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.067 . |
| Depth: | 57 km (35 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan .
Located 129 kilometer (80 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Türkmenbaşy (Balkan, Turkmenistan) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 129 km (80 mi) SE from epicenter |
Türkmenbaşy Balkan, Turkmenistan. |
| 134 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Mardakan Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) W from epicenter |
Buzovna Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) W from epicenter |
Biny Selo Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 142 km (88 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hövsan Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 145 km (90 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yeni Suraxanı Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 145 km (90 mi) W from epicenter |
Maştağa Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Amirdzhan Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 151 km (94 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Qaraçuxur Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 151 km (94 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bakıxanov Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) W from epicenter |
Zabrat Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) W from epicenter |
Sabunçu Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 158 km (98 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Baku Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) W from epicenter |
Bilajari Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 168 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Khirdalan Abşeron, Azerbaijan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Lokbatan Baki, Azerbaijan. |
| 173 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Sumqayıt Sumqayit, Azerbaijan. |
| 182 km (113 mi) W from epicenter |
Hacı Zeynalabdin Sumqayit, Azerbaijan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Divichibazar Siyǝzǝn, Azerbaijan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hacıqabul Hacıqabul, Azerbaijan. |
| 250 km (155 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Şirvan Shirvan, Azerbaijan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) SW from epicenter |
Neftçala Neftçala, Azerbaijan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) W from epicenter |
Shamakhi Şamaxı, Azerbaijan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Xaçmaz Xaçmaz, Azerbaijan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Balkanabat Balkan, Turkmenistan. |
| 262 km (163 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Salyan Salyan, Azerbaijan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Quba Quba, Azerbaijan. |
| 280 km (174 mi) W from epicenter |
Aghsu Ağsu, Azerbaijan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sabirabad Sabirabad, Azerbaijan. |
| 287 km (178 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Qusar Qusar, Azerbaijan. |
| 295 km (183 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Gumdag Balkan, Turkmenistan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Saatlı Saatlı, Azerbaijan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Əhmədbəyli Saatlı, Azerbaijan. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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 December 7th, 2023, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 175 km (109 mi) further west-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.
In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 3 years.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 57 km (35 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/12/25 03:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rkas
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251223_0000044
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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