M5.6 Earthquake 131 km SSE of Bam, Iran — August 5, 2025
2025-08-05 05:06:47 UTC (2025-08-05) · approx. 9:06 AM UTC+4 local
Felt by 4 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.3 (moderate).
On August 5, 2025 at 05:06 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck 131 km SSE of Bam, Iran, at a depth of 76.7 km and coordinates 28.0709°, 59.0117°. The earthquake was reported felt by 4 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.3 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 146 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 484, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Dalgan (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 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
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 4 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 | 2,888,540 |
| MMI 4 | light | 403,796 |
Earthquake Details
59.0117°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Bam, Iran?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 131 km SSE of Bam, Iran on August 5, 2025 at 05:06 UTC had a depth of 76.7 km. It was felt by 4 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.3 (moderate). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 28.0709°, 59.0117°, which is 131 km SSE of Bam, Iran. The nearest populated place is Dalgan (population 0). View all earthquakes in Iran.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 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 5.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000qy6g). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, August 5, 2025). M5.6 Earthquake 131 km SSE of Bam, Iran — August 5, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000qy6g/