A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck remote eastern Tajikistan in December 2015, killing two people and destroying 500 homes across a seismically active region.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (moment magnitude scale)
- Depth
- 26.0 km km
- Distance from Murghab
- 105 km west of Murghab
- Deaths
- 2
- Homes destroyed
- 500
- Distance from 1911 Sarez epicentre
- ~5.0 km km
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake occurred in one of Central Asia's most seismically active zones, near the epicentre of the 1911 Sarez earthquake that formed the Usoi Dam. Tectonic stresses along fault systems in the eastern Pamirs region of Tajikistan generated the rupture.
On 7 December 2015 at 07:50 UTC, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 105 km west of Murghab, Tajikistan, at a depth of 26 km. Shaking was felt across six neighbouring countries, with intensities recorded as far as Islamabad, New Delhi, and Kashgar.
The disaster killed a truck driver and a policeman, injured dozens more, and destroyed 500 homes. The earthquake's wide felt area across Central and South Asia highlighted the regional hazard posed by the Pamir fault systems, and drew attention to proximity to the seismically sensitive Usoi Dam.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 2 (earthquake)