M4.8 Earthquake 30 km NW of Gerāsh, Iran — August 18, 2023
2023-08-18 16:10:03 UTC (2023-08-18) · approx. 8:10 PM UTC+4 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On August 18, 2023 at 16:10 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 30 km NW of Gerāsh, Iran, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 27.8701°, 53.9308°. This earthquake was detected by 62 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 356, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 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 2 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
53.9308°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Gerāsh, Iran?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 30 km NW of Gerāsh, Iran on August 18, 2023 at 16:10 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 27.8701°, 53.9308°, which is 30 km NW of Gerāsh, Iran. View all earthquakes in Iran.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days 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 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000kp9x). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 18, 2023). M4.8 Earthquake 30 km NW of Gerāsh, Iran — August 18, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000kp9x/