M5.2 Earthquake 35 km NNW of Samtse, Bhutan — April 5, 2021
2021-04-05 15:19:57 UTC (2021-04-05) · approx. 9:19 PM UTC+6 local
Felt by 161 people across surrounding communities.
On April 5, 2021 at 15:19 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 35 km NNW of Samtse, Bhutan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 27.1863°, 88.9412°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 161 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
88.9412°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Samtse, Bhutan?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 35 km NNW of Samtse, Bhutan on April 5, 2021 at 15:19 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 27.1863°, 88.9412°, which is 35 km NNW of Samtse, Bhutan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000dz5d). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, April 5, 2021). M5.2 Earthquake 35 km NNW of Samtse, Bhutan — April 5, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000dz5d/