On Sunday 13 May 2012, slightly before 4.30 am local time (slightly before 11.30 pm on Saturday 12 May GMT) the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan was shaken by an Earthquake centered about 7 km of the town of Obikhingou in the Pamir Mountains, measured by the United States Geological Survey as occurring at a depth of 10 km and measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale. This was felt as far away as the capitol, Dushanbe, as well as in the neighboring states of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The quake caused a number of landslides and a number of buildings to collapse. So far there has been one recorded human fatality; a large amount of livestock is also believed to have perished.
The location of the 13 May 2012 quake, and the areas where the worst shaking is likely to have been felt. USGS.
Tajikistan is quite prone to Earthquake though most are quite small and do not cause any problems. 90% of the country lies within the Pamir Mountains, which are caused by uplift due to the impact of the Indian Plate into the Eurasian Plate from the south.
An earthquake in souther Tajikistan in July 2006 killed three people and made about 1200 homeless. In 1989 an Earthquake completely destroyed the village of Sharora near Dushanbe, killing between 600 and 1000 people. In 1911 a quake in the east of the country killed about 90 people, and in 1907 a quake near the Uzbekistan border killed at least 12 000 people.
See also Earthquake rattles Assam, northeast India, Earthquake in northwest Azerbaijan, New Delhi shaken by Earthquake, Earthquake in Tuva Republic, southwest Siberia and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.
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