M5.1 Earthquake 14 km NNE of Ḩalabja, Iraq — March 16, 2023
2023-03-16 18:32:51 UTC (2023-03-16) · approx. 9:32 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 33 people across nearby locations.
On March 16, 2023 at 18:32 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 14 km NNE of Ḩalabja, Iraq, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 35.3022°, 46.0259°. This earthquake was detected by 101 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 414, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 33 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
46.0259°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Ḩalabja, Iraq?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 14 km NNE of Ḩalabja, Iraq on March 16, 2023 at 18:32 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 35.3022°, 46.0259°, which is 14 km NNE of Ḩalabja, Iraq.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000jkjc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, March 16, 2023). M5.1 Earthquake 14 km NNE of Ḩalabja, Iraq — March 16, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jkjc/