M5.0 Earthquake 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan — May 31, 2023
2023-05-31 04:04:53 UTC (2023-05-31) · approx. 8:04 AM UTC+4 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On May 31, 2023 at 04:04 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan, at a depth of 40.0 km and coordinates 39.6636°, 54.9322°. This earthquake was detected by 81 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
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.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response 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
54.9322°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Balkanabat, Turkmenistan?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan on May 31, 2023 at 04:04 UTC had a depth of 40.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.6636°, 54.9322°, which is 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan.
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: us7000k55h). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, May 31, 2023). M5.0 Earthquake 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan — May 31, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000k55h/