M5.2 Earthquake 11 km ESE of Khowy, Iran — March 16, 2023
2023-03-16 11:47:14 UTC (2023-03-16) · approx. 2:47 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 19 people across nearby locations.
On March 16, 2023 at 11:47 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km ESE of Khowy, Iran, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 38.5027°, 45.0678°. This earthquake was detected by 110 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 427, placing it among routine seismic activity.
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 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 19 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
45.0678°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Khowy, Iran?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 11 km ESE of Khowy, Iran on March 16, 2023 at 11:47 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 38.5027°, 45.0678°, which is 11 km ESE of Khowy, Iran. View all earthquakes in Iran.
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 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 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000jkel). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, March 16, 2023). M5.2 Earthquake 11 km ESE of Khowy, Iran — March 16, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jkel/