M5.1 Earthquake 60 km NNW of Bandar Abbas, Iran — October 17, 2023
2023-10-17 04:59:22 UTC (2023-10-17) · approx. 8:59 AM UTC+4 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.
On October 17, 2023 at 04:59 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 60 km NNW of Bandar Abbas, Iran, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 27.7117°, 56.1329°. This earthquake was detected by 132 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 402, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Iran, a region characterized by the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt, where the Arabian Plate collides with Eurasia at 20-25 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the Zagros Fault. View all earthquakes in Iran.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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
56.1329°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Bandar Abbas, Iran?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 60 km NNW of Bandar Abbas, Iran on October 17, 2023 at 04:59 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 27.7117°, 56.1329°, which is 60 km NNW of Bandar Abbas, Iran. View all earthquakes in Iran.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Iran had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Iran was the M7.8 Tabas earthquake of September 16, 1978. Today's magnitude 5.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000lg2q). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, October 17, 2023). M5.1 Earthquake 60 km NNW of Bandar Abbas, Iran — October 17, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000lg2q/