5.1

M5.1 Earthquake 9 km N of Bhach?u, India — June 14, 2020

2020-06-14 14:43:08 UTC (2020-06-14) · approx. 7:43 PM UTC+5 local

Felt by 434 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.1 (very strong).

MagnitudeM5.1(mb)
Time14:43 UTC≈ 7:43 PM UTC+5
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates23.382°, 70.355°
Felt by434DYFI responses· max MMI 6.1
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On June 14, 2020 at 14:43 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 9 km N of Bhach?u, India, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 23.3821°, 70.3548°. The earthquake was reported felt by 434 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.1 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Bhachau (population 24,044).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Nearest Populated Places

Bhachaupop. 24,044
MMI 5.4 (strong)
Gandhidhampop. 166,388
MMI 4.6 (moderate)
Raparpop. 21,507
MMI 4.6 (moderate)
Anjarpop. 66,888
MMI 4.6 (moderate)
Bedipop. 21,327
MMI 4.4 (moderate)
Jodiya Bandarpop. 15,788
MMI 4.4 (moderate)

What the Shaking Felt Like

At MMI 6.1 (very strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Strong shaking felt by everyone. Heavy furniture may move. Books fall from shelves. Plaster and chimneys may crack. Damage is generally slight in well-built structures.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 23.38°, 70.35°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.1 earthquake near 9 km N of Bhach?u, India

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 434 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.1 earthquake near 9 km N of Bhach?u, India

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Population exposure (USGS PAGER)

Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.

Shaking intensity (MMI)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 4light2,334,015
MMI 5moderate1,063,317
MMI 6strong38,952

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.1 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
23.3821°N
70.3548°E
Felt Reports
434
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
6.1
very strong
Community Intensity
5.4
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000abp7
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
635
Azimuthal Gap
40.0°
Min Station Distance
11.178°
RMS Residual
0.74 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 18:36:23 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Bhach?u, India?

The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 9 km N of Bhach?u, India on June 14, 2020 at 14:43 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 434 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.1 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 23.3821°, 70.3548°, which is 9 km N of Bhach?u, India. The nearest populated place is Bhachau (population 24,044).

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000abp7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, June 14, 2020). M5.1 Earthquake 9 km N of Bhach?u, India — June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000abp7/