Thursday 26 March 2020

Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake in northern Tajikistan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km about 17 km to the northeast of the town of Asht in northern Tajikistan, slightly before 9.45 am local time (slightly before 4.45 am GMT) on Thursday 26 March 2020. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling in Asht, as well as in Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

The approximate location of the 26 March 2020 Tajikistan Earthquake. USGS.

Northern Tajikistan lies to the north of the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which runs through northern Afghanistan. The Indian Plate is moving northward relative to the Eurasian Plate, causing folding and uplift along this boundary, which has led to the formation of the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, The Pamirs in Tajikistan, the Himalayas and the other mountain ranges of Central Asia., and which makes the nations in this boundary zone prone to Earthquakes.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
 
See also...

https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2020/01/magnitude-64-earthquake-in-western.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/12/landslide-kills-six-on-construction.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/10/magnitude-50-earthquake-in-badakhshan.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/05/magnitude-44-earthquake-in-badakhshan.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/05/magnitude-46-earthquake-in-eastern.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/03/flash-floods-kill-at-least-39-in.html
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.