M7.0 earthquake near Balkanabat, Balkan

What happened

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck 37 km E of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan on 6 Dec 2000, 17:11 UTC at a depth of 30 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Balkanabat, about 38 km away in Balkan, Turkmenistan.