M5.0 Earthquake 197 km SSW of Altai, Mongolia — January 17, 2022
2022-01-17 15:04:45 UTC (2022-01-17) · approx. 9:04 PM UTC+6 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.9 (strong).
On January 17, 2022 at 15:04 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 197 km SSW of Altai, Mongolia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 44.7951°, 95.0960°. The earthquake was reported felt by 3 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.9 (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 Bayan-Ovoo (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
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 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
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 | 26,590 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1,238 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 14 |
Earthquake Details
95.0960°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Altai, Mongolia?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 197 km SSW of Altai, Mongolia on January 17, 2022 at 15:04 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 3 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.9 (strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 44.7951°, 95.0960°, which is 197 km SSW of Altai, Mongolia. The nearest populated place is Bayan-Ovoo (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000gcmh). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 17, 2022). M5.0 Earthquake 197 km SSW of Altai, Mongolia — January 17, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000gcmh/