A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Tajikistan at 8:37 on February 23, 2023. On February 6, 2023, the Turkish-Syrian earthquake caused a large number of casualties among residents and seriously affected the economy of Turkish-Syrian and its surrounding areas. And Tajikistan and Turkey belong to the Eurasian plate, what impact will this Tajikistan earthquake have?
The beginning and end of the earthquake in Tajikistan
7.2 earthquake struck Tajikistan. The source of the earthquake is about 10 kilometers from the surface, 10 large and medium-sized cities are located 300 kilometers from the epicenter, and there are about 20,000 residents near Khorog, 162 kilometers from the epicenter. The earthquake has an average altitude of 4,655 meters at 5 kilometers at its epicenter, and is 82 kilometers away from the continental border.
The center of the earthquake in Tajikistan is very small, in comparison, the coverage is large, and the Xinjiang region of the mainland is clearly felt. Plants and hangers in some residents' homes in Xinjiang shook during the earthquake, and not only that, but some Kashgar residents even said that they were sleeping at the time and suddenly woke up by the earthquake waves. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake was followed by five more earthquakes in Tajikistan.
Because Tajikistan is located in the Eurasian seismic zone, the earth's crust movement is extremely frequent, earthquakes often occur, and the frequent occurrence of earthquakes is bound to have a certain impact on Tajikistan. Therefore, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Tajikistan is likely to be related to the movement of the Earth's crust in the Eurasian plate.
What is the impact of the Tajik earthquake?
The aftermath of the earthquake has been felt in many parts of Xinjiang, China, but so far no casualties or property damage have been reported. In addition, after investigation, the power department not only did not have any operation faults in the power grid, but also the equipment operated normally, not only did not affect the life and production of local residents, but also did not affect the local economy.
Because Xinjiang and Tajikistan are in the Eurasian plate, earthquakes often occur in their territories. Because of the lessons of the Wenchuan earthquake, Xinjiang has continuously strengthened local housing construction, so the housing structure is extremely stable enough to withstand this risk, so in the impact of the earthquake in Tajikistan, there was no house collapse.
After the earthquake, Xinjiang authorities suspended trains from Aksu to Kashgar. Due to the harsh climate and difficult conditions in the local area, since its opening in 1999, the Southern Xinjiang Railway has not only provided convenience for local residents, but also driven the local transportation and economy. Therefore, this suspension will not only affect local passenger transportation, but also affect the economy.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake will cause certain loss of life and property. Since the earthquake occurred in the Murghab region, and the earthquake center is located in the Pamir Plateau of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in southeast Tajikistan, adverse reactions, low temperatures, snow and other adverse conditions in the plateau will cause certain interference to rescue work.
After a major earthquake of magnitude 7 or higher, there are usually aftershocks that last for a month. Therefore, there may be aftershocks of different degrees in the later period of Tajikistan, not only that, but countries and regions adjacent to Tajikistan may also experience earthquakes of different degrees in the near future.
The northern part of Tajikistan belongs to the Tian Shan Mountains, and the southeast is the Pamir Plateau, and there are many snow-capped mountains in the territory, often accompanied by snow, and avalanches often occur in the city. The earthquake had a high magnitude, and it is very likely that the snow cover will fall due to the earthquake, causing a large-scale avalanche in Tajikistan.
Causes of frequent earthquakes in Tajikistan
Tajikistan is located between 36°40' and 41°05' north latitude and 67°31' to 75°14' east longitude, located in the southeast of Central Asia, adjacent to Xinjiang and Afghanistan, with an area of only 143,100 square kilometers, ranking last among the five Central Asian countries, with mountainous areas accounting for 93%.
Changes in the structure of the earth's crust led to the earthquake in Tajikistan, and the movement of magma and rock inside the crust is the cause of the change in the crust.
Based on the geological structure of Tajikistan, the occurrence of this earthquake above magnitude 7 is not unexpected. The Eurasian seismic belt, also known as the Mediterranean-Himalayan seismic belt, is an earthquake zone that runs through northwest Africa and the southern Eurasian plate, as well as Xinjiang and Tibet on the mainland.
Tajikistan is located in the Eurasian Iranian Plate, where crustal movement is very active. Due to the rapid movement of the earth's crust, the energy generated by this pressure and collision is released as seismic waves, which cause earthquakes. As the distance between the center of the earthquake and the surface increases, the energy released increases.
Tajikistan has always been unpeaceful, because the area belongs to the earthquake high incidence zone, as early as 2017, there were more than 12 earthquakes below 5.2 magnitude, in 2018 there were more than 10 earthquakes below 5.5 and below, and between 2020 and 2022, there were 5 earthquakes below 6.1 magnitude, basically every year.