Reviewed by USGSTajikistan117y ago
M7.2 earthquake 120 km W of Murghob, Tajikistan
Saturday, February 18, 1911, 18:41:09 UTC · 38.289°N, 72.596°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 120 km W of Murghob, Tajikistan on Saturday, February 18, 1911, 18:41:09 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on July 7, 1909.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.1 megatons of TNT
That is about 70 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,213 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
399 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.752 km ESE of Farkhār, AfghanistanJuly 7, 1909 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2Hindu Kush region, AfghanistanOctober 6, 1902 · 272 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9127 km E of Khorugh, TajikistanOctober 23, 1908 · 89 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.842 km S of Jurm, AfghanistanApril 13, 1907 · 252 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.643 km NE of Khorugh, TajikistanDecember 25, 1907 · 84 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.629 km SE of Jurm, AfghanistanApril 16, 1908 · 228 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.311 km NE of Karakenja, TajikistanSeptember 15, 1907 · 142 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,205 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1902M6.4
Andizhan
16 Dec 1902 · 280 km away · intensity IX
4,880 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1911M7.2
Usoy, Barchidiv, Posor, Nisur
18 Feb 1911 · 0 km away
318 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1896M6.5
Xinjiang
5 Mar 1896 · 299 km away
7 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1832
Afghanistan
22 Jan 1832 · 244 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1909M8.1
Hindu-Kush
7 Jul 1909 · 272 km away · intensity VII
- 1896M7.5
Afghanistan
23 Sep 1896 · 201 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.