5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, AfghanistanJanuary 14, 2022

2022-01-14 16:13:03 UTC (2022-01-14) · approx. 9:13 PM UTC+5 local

Felt by 8 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mb)
Time16:13 UTC9:13 PM UTC+5
Depth107.0 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates36.542°, 71.495°
Felt by8DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On January 14, 2022 at 16:13 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 intermediate depth earthquake struck 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, Afghanistan, at a depth of 107.0 km and coordinates 36.5418°, 71.4945°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 36.54°, 71.49°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 8 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 M5.3 earthquake near 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, Afghanistan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mb
Depth
107.0 km
intermediate depth
Location
36.5418°N
71.4945°E
Felt Reports
8
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.8
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000gc0n
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
435
Azimuthal Gap
22.0°
Min Station Distance
0.939°
RMS Residual
0.85 sec
Last Updated
2022-03-19 22:08:02 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Ashk?sham, Afghanistan?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, Afghanistan on January 14, 2022 at 16:13 UTC had a depth of 107.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.5418°, 71.4945°, which is 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, Afghanistan. View all earthquakes in Afghanistan.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000gc0n). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 14, 2022). M5.3 Earthquake 16 km SSW of Ashk?sham, AfghanistanJanuary 14, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000gc0n/