Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan has catalogued 143 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 69th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.2.
Turkmenistan ranks 69th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 7 M4+ events a year alongside 7 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 7 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 143
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 7
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.2
- Strongest
- ~7
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Turkmenistan is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 143 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 7 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.2.
- 1929
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 25 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Guadeloupe sits immediately above at 154 events and Mauritius sits immediately below at 135.
ComCat country tape
Event tape TURKMENISTAN · Turkmenistan M4+ · 69th/187
Turkmenistan · 143 M4+ · max M7.2 · 7 M6+
- PHOTO 143
- BUSY 69th/187
- SHAL M7.2
- PCT 7
- VS-PEER near Guadeloupe
- COMCAT 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Turkmenistan
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 5 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 5
- Average observed MMI
- 7.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Turkmenistan sits in the catalog
Rank 69th of 187 tracked countries (63th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Guadeloupe sits immediately above at 154 events and Mauritius sits immediately below at 135.
- Guadeloupe - next more active (154 M4+)
- Mauritius - next less active (135 M4+)
Turkmenistan's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
143 Top 37% higher than 63% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Turkmenistan by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1929
1929: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1938
1938: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1946
1946: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1948
1948: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1950
1950: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1989
1989: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2000
2000: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Turkmenistan's most active year for major earthquakes was 1929 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 143 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 7 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Turkmenistan.
M7.0-7.9
4
57.1%
M6.0-6.9
3
42.9%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 7 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 25 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
7
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Turkmenistan
The 7 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 40 km SSE of Baharly, Turkmenistan | 10.0 km | May 1, 1929 |
| 7.2 | 14 km N of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | Oct 5, 1948 |
| 7.0 | 40 km NE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan | 37.9 km | Nov 4, 1946 |
| 7.0 | 37 km E of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan | 30.0 km | Dec 6, 2000 |
| 6.2 | 104 km W of Türkmenba?y, Turkmenistan | 51.4 km | Sep 17, 1989 |
| 6.2 | 90 km NE of Türkmenba?y, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | Feb 14, 1938 |
| 6.1 | 55 km NNE of Abadan, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | May 9, 1950 |
Significant earthquake record (7 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Turkmenistan since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 37 km E of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan | 30.0 km | Dec 6, 2000 |
| 6.2 | 104 km W of Türkmenba?y, Turkmenistan | 51.4 km | Sep 17, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 55 km NNE of Abadan, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | May 9, 1950 |
| 7.2 | 14 km N of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | Oct 5, 1948 |
| 7.0 | 40 km NE of Balkanabat, Turkmenistan | 37.9 km | Nov 4, 1946 |
| 6.2 | 90 km NE of Türkmenba?y, Turkmenistan | 15.0 km | Feb 14, 1938 |
| 7.2 | 40 km SSE of Baharly, Turkmenistan | 10.0 km | May 1, 1929 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Turkmenistan-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Turkmenistan-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.