M6.3 Earthquake 24 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan — October 11, 2023
2023-10-11 00:41:55 UTC (2023-10-11) · approx. 4:41 AM UTC+4 local
Felt by 54 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.9 (severe).
On October 11, 2023 at 00:41 UTC, a magnitude 6.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 24 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan, at a depth of 8.0 km and coordinates 34.5364°, 62.0509°. The earthquake was reported felt by 54 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.9 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 423 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2037, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Herat (population 272,806).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 13 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
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 54 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 | 489,334 |
| MMI 4 | light | 2,230,484 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 649,848 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 707,344 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 565,772 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 4,211 |
Earthquake Details
62.0509°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Herāt, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck 24 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan on October 11, 2023 at 00:41 UTC had a depth of 8.0 km. It was felt by 54 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 34.5364°, 62.0509°, which is 24 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan. The nearest populated place is Herat (population 272,806). View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.3 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months 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 6.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000len8). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, October 11, 2023). M6.3 Earthquake 24 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan — October 11, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000len8/