6.0

M6.0 Earthquake 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, IranJuly 1, 2022

2022-07-01 21:32:07 UTC (2022-07-01) · approx. 1:32 AM UTC+4 local

Felt by 489 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.2 (severe).

MagnitudeM6.0(mww)
Time21:32 UTC1:32 AM UTC+4
Depth16.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates26.906°, 55.239°
Felt by489DYFI responses· max MMI 7.2
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· yellow PAGER
yellow Alertlocal impact possible

On July 1, 2022 at 21:32 UTC, a magnitude 6.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran, at a depth of 16.0 km and coordinates 26.9061°, 55.2389°. The earthquake was reported felt by 489 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.2 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 191 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 890, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Bandar-e Khamir (population 0).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 15 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 8.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Iran, a region characterized by the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt, where the Arabian Plate collides with Eurasia at 20-25 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the Zagros Fault. View all earthquakes in Iran.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Nearest Populated Places

Bandar-e Khamirpop. 0
MMI 5.2 (strong)
Bandar-e Lengehpop. 22,768
MMI 4.7 (moderate)
Bastakpop. 0
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Bandar Abbaspop. 352,173
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Umm al Qaywaynpop. 44,411
MMI 4.0 (light)
Qeshmpop. 25,000
MMI 4.0 (light)

What the Shaking Felt Like

At MMI 7.2 (severe), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Very strong shaking. Difficult to stand. Damage to weak structures; slight damage to well-built structures. Furniture broken. Fallen plaster and loose bricks.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 26.91°, 55.24°

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 M6.0 earthquake near 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran

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

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 489 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 M6.0 earthquake near 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran

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 3weak2,153,988
MMI 4light6,734,209
MMI 5moderate156,671
MMI 6strong17,351
MMI 7very strong8,939

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.0 mww
Depth
16.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
26.9061°N
55.2389°E
Felt Reports
489
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
7.2
severe
Community Intensity
4.9
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000hz8x
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
890
Stations Used
191
Azimuthal Gap
19.0°
Min Station Distance
2.137°
RMS Residual
0.67 sec
Last Updated
2026-07-19 06:07:59 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran?

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran on July 1, 2022 at 21:32 UTC had a depth of 16.0 km. It was felt by 489 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.2 (severe). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 26.9061°, 55.2389°, which is 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, Iran. The nearest populated place is Bandar-e Khamir (population 0). View all earthquakes in Iran.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.0 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.

Has Iran had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Iran was the M7.8 Tabas earthquake of September 16, 1978. Today's magnitude 6.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000hz8x). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, July 1, 2022). M6.0 Earthquake 52 km NE of Bandar-e Lengeh, IranJuly 1, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000hz8x/