M5.2 Earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan — January 1, 2022
2022-01-01 13:15:25 UTC (2022-01-01) · approx. 6:15 PM UTC+5 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On January 1, 2022 at 13:15 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 intermediate depth earthquake struck near Badakhshan, Afghanistan, at a depth of 231.9 km and coordinates 36.5900°, 71.1783°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 2 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
71.1783°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck near Badakhshan, Afghanistan on January 1, 2022 at 13:15 UTC had a depth of 231.9 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.5900°, 71.1783°, which is near Badakhshan, Afghanistan. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 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 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000g8bl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 1, 2022). M5.2 Earthquake near Badakhshan, Afghanistan — January 1, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000g8bl/