M6.9 Earthquake 65 km WSW of Murghob, Tajikistan — February 23, 2023
2023-02-23 00:37:38 UTC (2023-02-23) · approx. 5:37 AM UTC+5 local
Felt by 33 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.9 (severe).
On February 23, 2023 at 00:37 UTC, a magnitude 6.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 65 km WSW of Murghob, Tajikistan, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 38.0552°, 73.2287°. The earthquake was reported felt by 33 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.9 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 300 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 761, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Murghob (population 10,815).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 35 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 33 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 | 623,779 |
| MMI 4 | light | 5,127,151 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 21,910 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 2,943 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 1,267 |
Earthquake Details
73.2287°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.9 earthquake near Murghob, Tajikistan?
The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck 65 km WSW of Murghob, Tajikistan on February 23, 2023 at 00:37 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. It was felt by 33 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.9 (severe). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 38.0552°, 73.2287°, which is 65 km WSW of Murghob, Tajikistan. The nearest populated place is Murghob (population 10,815).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.9 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jqxc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, February 23, 2023). M6.9 Earthquake 65 km WSW of Murghob, Tajikistan — February 23, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jqxc/