# Kyrgyz Earthquake Atlas

> An interactive 3D atlas of the earthquakes recorded beneath Kyrgyzstan and 150 km around it since
> 1885, published by KG Labs Public Foundation (Bishkek) at https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzearthquakes/.
> Each point is an earthquake from the seismic catalogues, placed where the rock first broke. Where its
> depth is well measured it hangs under the relief at that depth; where the depth is uncertain, only
> the spot on the surface above it is marked. The page is published in English, Russian and Kyrgyz;
> add `?lang=ru` or `?lang=ky`.

Publisher: KG Labs Public Foundation, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — https://kglabs.org/
Contact: azizkin@kglabs.org · +996 990 777 700 (WhatsApp)
Published: October 2026
Reuse: free to use with a reference to KG Labs Public Foundation and this page (see "Reuse" below)
Companion pages: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzwateratlas/ (Kyrgyzstan Water Atlas) ·
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzglacierextinction/ (Kyrgyzstan's glaciers, year by year to 2100)

## Key numbers

- 50,313 recorded earthquakes, 1885–2026, in Kyrgyzstan and a 150 km margin around it
- 1,588 of them with a well-measured depth (an independent check supports it, or its stated error is 5 km or less)
- 22 more earthquakes known from historical accounts before 1885, shown in the all-years view; their places and sizes are rough
- 4 catalogues: Harmonized Earthquake Catalogue for Central Asia (World Bank, to 2020), ISC Bulletin (reviewed to September 2024), EMSC, USGS
- Records after 30 September 2024 have not yet been reviewed by the International Seismological Centre and may change

## Named strong earthquakes on the map

| Earthquake | Date (UTC) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verny | 1887-06-09 | 7.3 | — |
| Chilik | 1889-07-11 | 8.5 | — |
| Kashgar | 1902-08-22 | 7.8 | — |
| Kemin | 1911-01-03 | 8.0 | — |
| Sarez | 1911-02-18 | 7.2 | — |
| Chatkal | 1946-11-02 | 7.5 | 25 |
| Khait | 1949-07-10 | 7.5 | 20 |
| Markansu | 1974-08-11 | 7.1 | 10 |
| Suusamyr | 1992-08-19 | 7.2 | 24 |
| Nura | 2008-10-05 | 6.6 | 24 |
| Wushi (Uch-Turpan) | 2024-01-22 | 7.0 | 9 |

Magnitudes are moment magnitudes from the harmonised Central Asian catalogue or the ISC-GEM catalogue.
A dash means the depth is not well measured. Published studies put the 1889 Chilik earthquake at
magnitude 8.0–8.3; its size is still debated.

## Questions and answers (English)

### What does the Kyrgyz Earthquake Atlas show?

A 3D block of the ground beneath Kyrgyzstan and 150 km around it, with every recorded earthquake since
1885. Readers can turn the block to look underneath, press play to watch the records arrive year by
year, and switch the surface to the active faults or to the Institute of Seismology's 2018 shaking map.

### Why does the ground shake in Kyrgyzstan?

India still moves north into Asia by about 3 cm a year at Kyrgyzstan's longitude. Satellite
positioning shows nearly two thirds of that, about 2 cm a year, going into squeezing the Tien Shan:
its mountains are still being built. Ranges are pushed up and over the basins beside them along
thrust faults at their feet; others, like the Talas-Fergana fault, slide sideways.

### How deep are the earthquakes?

Almost every measured quake under Kyrgyzstan lies in the upper 40 km of the crust, along faults at
the feet of the ranges and beneath the Chuy, Issyk-Kul, Fergana, Naryn, At-Bashy and Alai basins.
Half of the well-measured quakes in Kyrgyzstan begin less than 15 km down, and 96 % less than 25 km
down. At the southern edge of the block, beneath the Pamir, a slab of Asia's lithosphere is sinking
into the mantle and quakes inside it reach 100–250 km. The deepest well-measured one in the block is
160 km down.

### Is there an active fault under Bishkek?

The Issyk-Ata fault runs 150–160 km along the foot of the Kyrgyz Range at the southern edge of
Bishkek, in two segments of 65–75 km. Trenches dug by the Institute of Seismology record four
surface-breaking quakes of magnitude 6.8–7.4 in about the last 5,000 years, each moving the ground up
to 2 m. On one segment, 2,000–5,000 years pass between strong quakes. The Institute has long warned
against building in the fault zone; construction there continues.

### What is the difference between magnitude and points?

Magnitude, and the energy class K that Kyrgyz seismologists also use, measure the energy released at
the source: one number per quake. Intensity, in points of the 12-point MSK-64 scale, measures the
shaking at a given place; it is strongest above the source and weakens with distance. The Institute's
network records about 9,300–9,500 quakes a year. Its website lists only those felt in or near the
country: 704 from January 2024 to 27 October 2026, of which 399 were marked as felt in Kyrgyzstan.

### What does the official shaking map show?

The Institute of Seismology's 2018 map shows the shaking to expect from the strongest likely quakes.
By KG Labs' tracing, 9 points covers about 55 % of the country and 8 points about 35 %. Zones of more
than 9 points, where a quake of magnitude 7.6 or more can start, include the Talas-Fergana fault, the
north shore of Issyk-Kul, the Kyrgyz Range front near Bishkek and the south-east of Issyk-Kul. The
atlas shows a traced copy for viewing; for siting and design, the Institute's original and the
building code apply.

### Can earthquakes be predicted?

No one can say when and where the next strong quake will strike to the day. The Institute makes
long-term forecasts of where strong quakes are more likely and passes them each year to the Ministry
of Emergency Situations. The atlas is a map of recorded earthquakes, not of every earthquake, and it
does not forecast earthquakes. Official seismic hazard assessment and warnings remain with the
responsible state agencies.

### How is the atlas built?

A quake listed in two catalogues within 10 seconds and 20 km is counted once. Position and depth come
from the best-checked solution available: ISC-EHB relocations, then ISC-GEM, then the ISC Bulletin.
Mining blasts, explosions and other events the ISC marks as not earthquakes are removed. Where the
harmonised catalogue or ISC-GEM gives a moment magnitude it is used; otherwise the best magnitude the
networks reported, which can differ by a few tenths. More recorded quakes in later years mostly means
more seismometers, not only a more restless Earth.

## Вопросы и ответы (русский)

### Что показывает атлас?

Каждая точка — землетрясение из сейсмических каталогов, показанное в его очаге — там, где впервые
сломалась порода. Если его глубина хорошо измерена, точка висит под землёй на этой глубине. Если
глубина неточна, кольцом отмечено только место на поверхности над ним.
Русская версия: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzearthquakes/?lang=ru

### Почему здесь трясёт?

Индия по-прежнему движется на север, в Азию, примерно на 3 см в год на долготе Кыргызстана.
Спутниковое позиционирование показывает, что почти две трети этого движения, около 2 см в год,
уходит на сжатие Тянь-Шаня: его горы продолжают расти.

### На какой глубине?

Под Кыргызстаном почти все землетрясения с измеренной глубиной лежат в верхних 40 км земной коры —
вдоль разломов у подножий хребтов и под впадинами: Чуйской, Иссык-Кульской, Ферганской, Нарынской,
Ат-Башинской и Алайской. У южного края блока, под Памиром, землетрясения происходят на глубинах
100–250 км.

### Можно ли предсказать землетрясение?

Никто не может назвать день и час следующего сильного землетрясения. Институт сейсмологии составляет
долгосрочные прогнозы мест, где сильные землетрясения более вероятны, и ежегодно передаёт их в
Министерство чрезвычайных ситуаций. Официальная оценка сейсмической опасности и предупреждения
остаются за ответственными государственными органами.

## Кыргызча кыскача

Ар бир чекит — сейсмикалык каталогдордогу жер титирөө, анын очогунда — тоо тек биринчи жарылган жерде
көрсөтүлгөн. Индия дагы эле Кыргызстандын узундугунда Азияга карай жылына 3 смдей түндүккө жылууда;
бул кыймылдын жылына 2 смдейи Тянь-Шанды кысууга кетет. Кыргызстандын астында тереңдиги өлчөнгөн
дээрлик бардык жер титирөөлөр жер кыртышынын үстүңкү 40 км катмарында жатат. Кыргызча версия:
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzearthquakes/?lang=ky

## Sources

- World Bank, Harmonized Earthquake Catalogue for Central Asia (SFRARR, 2023, CC BY 4.0)
- International Seismological Centre (2026), On-line Bulletin, doi:10.31905/D808B830; ISC-EHB, doi:10.31905/PY08W6S3; ISC-GEM, doi:10.31905/D808B825 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- EMSC, seismicportal.eu, with the Institute of Seismology, National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
- U.S. Geological Survey ComCat
- Shaking map: Institute of Seismology, NAS KR (2018), Abdrakhmatov, Omuraliev, Omuralieva, Zakhozhaya, seismo.kg
- Faults: GEM Global Active Faults Database (Styron & Pagani 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0; HimaTibetMap traces)
- Historic shaking areas: seismotectonic zoning map of the Northern Tien Shan (Timush, Taradaeva), in Abdrakhmatov et al. 2023
- Relief: Mapzen Terrarium elevation tiles. Lakes: Natural Earth
- Research cited on the page: Abdrakhmatov et al. 1996, 2016; Arrowsmith et al. 2017; Ischuk et al. 2013; Kufner et al. 2016; Mikolaichuk et al. 2020; Rizza et al. 2019; Rust et al. 2018; Sippl et al. 2013; Sloan et al. 2011; Zhang et al. 2023; Zubovich et al. 2010; and 15 articles from the Vestnik of the Institute of Seismology NAS KR (2013–2024)

## Reuse

The atlas views, figures and summaries are free to use with a reference. Cite as:
KG Labs Public Foundation (2026). Kyrgyz Earthquake Atlas: earthquakes beneath Kyrgyzstan since 1885.
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzearthquakes/

The underlying sources keep their own terms (for example the Harmonized Earthquake Catalogue for
Central Asia, CC BY 4.0; ISC-GEM, CC BY-SA 3.0; GEM Global Active Faults, CC BY-SA 4.0).