M5.3 Earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan — August 6, 2023
2023-08-06 00:32:49 UTC (2023-08-06) · approx. 5:32 AM UTC+5 local
Felt by 8 people across nearby locations.
On August 6, 2023 at 00:32 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 intermediate depth earthquake struck near Badakhshan, Afghanistan, at a depth of 218.0 km and coordinates 36.4310°, 70.6689°. This earthquake was detected by 189 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 437, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Afghanistan, a region characterized by the Hindu Kush deep seismic zone, where remnant subducted lithosphere produces intermediate-depth earthquakes at 150-300 km. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 8 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
70.6689°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck near Badakhshan, Afghanistan on August 6, 2023 at 00:32 UTC had a depth of 218.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.4310°, 70.6689°, which is near Badakhshan, Afghanistan. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Afghanistan had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Afghanistan was the M7.5 Hindu Kush earthquake of October 26, 2015. Today's magnitude 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000ky6s). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 6, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan — August 6, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000ky6s/