M4.8 Earthquake 1 km N of Alkhan-Yurt, Russia — October 20, 2021
2021-10-20 04:45:41 UTC (2021-10-20) · approx. 7:45 AM UTC+3 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.
On October 20, 2021 at 04:45 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 1 km N of Alkhan-Yurt, Russia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 43.2461°, 45.5714°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Russia, a region characterized by the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone on the northwestern Pacific Ring of Fire. The nearest mapped fault system is the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. View all earthquakes in Russia.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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
45.5714°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Alkhan-Yurt, Russia?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 1 km N of Alkhan-Yurt, Russia on October 20, 2021 at 04:45 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 43.2461°, 45.5714°, which is 1 km N of Alkhan-Yurt, Russia. View all earthquakes in Russia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Russia had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Russia was the M9.0 Kamchatka earthquake of November 4, 1952. Today's magnitude 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000fw1d). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 20, 2021). M4.8 Earthquake 1 km N of Alkhan-Yurt, Russia — October 20, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000fw1d/