M5.9 Earthquake 11 km NNE of Harnai, Pakistan — October 6, 2021
2021-10-06 22:01:08 UTC (2021-10-06) · approx. 3:01 AM UTC+5 local
Felt by 46 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.3 (severe).
On October 6, 2021 at 22:01 UTC, a magnitude 5.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km NNE of Harnai, Pakistan, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 30.1933°, 67.9948°. The earthquake was reported felt by 46 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.3 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. The nearest populated place is Harnai (population 11,066).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 11 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 7.1 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 46 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
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) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 17,589,641 |
| MMI 4 | light | 7,773,640 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 196,206 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 56,207 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 33,314 |
Earthquake Details
67.9948°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Harnai, Pakistan?
The magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck 11 km NNE of Harnai, Pakistan on October 6, 2021 at 22:01 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. It was felt by 46 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.3 (severe). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 30.1933°, 67.9948°, which is 11 km NNE of Harnai, Pakistan. The nearest populated place is Harnai (population 11,066).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.9 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000fsg9). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 6, 2021). M5.9 Earthquake 11 km NNE of Harnai, Pakistan — October 6, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000fsg9/