M5.0 earthquake near Āq Qalā, Golestan

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 31 km N of Qarnābād, Iran on 22 Mar 2023, 10:38 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Āq Qalā, about 20 km away in Golestan, Iran.