M5.3 Earthquake 16 km NW of Karīmganj, India — August 14, 2023
2023-08-14 14:49:48 UTC (2023-08-14) · approx. 8:49 PM UTC+6 local
Felt by 163 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.3 (strong).
On August 14, 2023 at 14:49 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 16 km NW of Karīmganj, India, at a depth of 36.6 km and coordinates 24.9796°, 92.2481°. The earthquake was reported felt by 163 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.3 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 153 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 535, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Karimganj (population 55,290).
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.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 5.3 (strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Moderate shaking that everyone in the area would feel. Sleeping people are awakened. Dishes and windows may break. Unstable objects may be knocked over.
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 163 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 | 69,570,968 |
| MMI 4 | light | 20,695,139 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 3,148,229 |
Earthquake Details
92.2481°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Karīmganj, India?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 16 km NW of Karīmganj, India on August 14, 2023 at 14:49 UTC had a depth of 36.6 km. It was felt by 163 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.3 (strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 24.9796°, 92.2481°, which is 16 km NW of Karīmganj, India. The nearest populated place is Karimganj (population 55,290).
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.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000kzvl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 14, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake 16 km NW of Karīmganj, India — August 14, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000kzvl/