5.4

M5.4 Earthquake 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan — July 4, 2020

2020-07-04 09:53:00 UTC (2020-07-04) · approx. 2:53 PM UTC+5 local

Felt by 12 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.0 (very strong).

MagnitudeM5.4(mww)
Time09:53 UTC≈ 2:53 PM UTC+5
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates39.034°, 70.922°
Felt by12DYFI responses· max MMI 6.0
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On July 4, 2020 at 09:53 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 39.0341°, 70.9225°. The earthquake was reported felt by 12 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.0 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Tajikobod (population 0).

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.

Nearest Populated Places

Tajikobodpop. 0
MMI 5.1 (strong)
Jirghatolpop. 0
MMI 4.0 (moderate)
Karakenjapop. 2,899
MMI 3.6 (light)
Rashtpop. 10,771
MMI 3.5 (light)
Tavildarapop. 0
MMI 3.5 (light)
Novobodpop. 5,352
MMI 3.4 (light)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 39.03°, 70.92°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.4 earthquake near 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 12 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.4 earthquake near 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan

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)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak13,336,798
MMI 4light153,441
MMI 5moderate51,626
MMI 6strong2

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.4 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
39.0341°N
70.9225°E
Felt Reports
12
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
6.0
very strong
Community Intensity
5.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000ahv9
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
455
Azimuthal Gap
24.0°
Min Station Distance
0.473°
RMS Residual
0.63 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 18:37:31 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Rasht, Tajikistan?

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan on July 4, 2020 at 09:53 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 12 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.0 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.0341°, 70.9225°, which is 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan. The nearest populated place is Tajikobod (population 0).

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ahv9). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, July 4, 2020). M5.4 Earthquake 47 km E of Rasht, Tajikistan — July 4, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ahv9/