M5.4 Earthquake 26 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan — October 15, 2023
2023-10-15 03:56:28 UTC (2023-10-15) · approx. 7:56 AM UTC+4 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.7 (very strong).
On October 15, 2023 at 03:56 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 26 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 34.5747°, 62.0974°. The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 111 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 650, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Herat (population 272,806).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 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
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 | 2,343,297 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1,219,315 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 833,478 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 11,488 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 205 |
Earthquake Details
62.0974°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Herāt, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 26 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan on October 15, 2023 at 03:56 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 34.5747°, 62.0974°, which is 26 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 5.4 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 5.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000lfng). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, October 15, 2023). M5.4 Earthquake 26 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan — October 15, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000lfng/