M5.0 earthquake near Balkanabat, Balkan

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 51 km ENE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan on 31 May 2023, 04:04 UTC at a depth of 40 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 Balkanabat, about 51 km away in Balkan, Turkmenistan.