2015 Tajikistan earthquake
2015 Tajikistan earthquake is located in Tajikistan
2015 Tajikistan earthquake
UTC time2015-12-07 07:50:05
ISC event608081959
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateDecember 7, 2015 (2015-12-07)
Local time12:50 TJT (UTC+5)
Magnitude7.2 Mw
7.4 Ms(CEIC) [1]
Depth26 km (16 mi)
Epicenter38°15′29″N 72°46′01″E / 38.258°N 72.767°E / 38.258; 72.767
Areas affectedTajikistan, Xinjiang in China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan
Total damage500 homes destroyed
Max. intensityVII (Very strong)
Casualties2 killed and dozens injured

On December 7, 2015, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Tajikistan 105 km (65 mi) west of Murghab at 07:50 UTC at a depth of 26.0 km (16.2 mi).[2] The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Xinjiang in China, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.[3][4]

The earthquake was felt with intensities of MMI IV in Islamabad, Pakistan, MMI IV in New Delhi, India, MMI IV in Kashgar, China, MMI II in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, MMI II in Kabul, Afghanistan, MMI III in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, MMI III in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and MMI II in Almaty, Kazakhstan.[5][6]

A truck driver and a policeman were killed while dozens more were injured and 500 homes destroyed.[7]

The epicentre of this quake was approximately 5.0 km (3.1 mi) distant from the epicentre of the M7.3 1911 Sarez earthquake which formed the Usoi Dam across the Murghab river.

Tectonic setting

The eastern part of Tajikistan (the Pamir Mountains) lies within the complex zone of collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The dominant structures in this area are a combination of thrust faults and sinistral (left lateral) strike-slip faults. The Sarez–Karakul fault zone is a major SW–NE trending sinistral strike-slip fault that extends from south of Sarez Lake to north of Karakul lake. The 1911 earthquake is thought to have been caused by movement on this structure.[8][9]

Earthquake

Based on observations of ground rupture from SAR interferometry, the earthquake ruptured a 79 km section of the Sarez–Karakul fault zone. This is consistent with the observed distribution of aftershocks and the focal mechanism.[9] Three separate segments were involved, consisting of two longer SW–NE trending segments linked by a shorter more WSW–ENE trending patch forming a restraining bend. The hypocenter is located within the southwesternmost segment. The earthquake's detailed rupture history has been determined using a backprojection method using teleseismic data from stations in the European seismic network. Analysis has shown that the rupture propagated to the northeast initially at speeds below the S-wave velocity (subshear), but jumping to supershear speeds. At the restraining bend it slowed to subshear speeds before accelerating again to supershear speeds on the third segment.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "塔吉克斯坦7.4级地震". China Earthquake Networks Center (in Chinese).
  2. ↑ "M7.2 - 105km W of Murghob, Tajikistan". USGS. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Толчки после землетрясения в Таджикистане ощущались в севере КНР" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "7.2-Magnitude Quake Hits Tajikistan, Shakes Pakistan, India, Afghanistan".
  5. ↑ "M 7.2 - 104km W of Murghob, Tajikistan". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits Tajikistan". Independent.co.uk. 2015-12-07. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "At least two dead in earthquake in Tajikistan". AFP. 8 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Schurr B.; Ratschbacher L.; Sippl C.; Gloaguen R.; Yuan X.; Mechie J. (2014). "Seismotectonics of the Pamir". Tectonics. 33 (8): 1501–1518. Bibcode:2014Tecto..33.1501S. doi:10.1002/2014TC003576. hdl:1885/57658. S2CID 56279581.
  9. 1 2 3 Sangha S.; Peltzer G.; Zhang A.; Meng L.; Liang C.; Lundgren P.; Fielding E. (2017). "Fault geometry of 2015, Mw7.2 Murghab, Tajikistan earthquake controls rupture propagation: Insights from InSAR and seismological data". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 462: 132–141. Bibcode:2017E&PSL.462..132S. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2017.01.018.
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