Magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes near Balkanabat, Balkan, Turkmenistan

A moderately shallow magnitude 5.2 earthquake was reported around noon near Balkanabat, Balkan, Turkmenistan.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake hit on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026, at 12:55 pm local time at a moderately shallow depth of 35. km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Balkanabat (pop. 87,800) located 68 km from the epicenter, Gumdag (pop. 24,300) 105 km away, Tuerkmenbasy (pop. 91,700) 109 km away, and Celeken (pop. 28,100) 123 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Mar 11, 2026 12:55 pm (Ashgabat time) local time (11 Mar 2026 07:55 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.2
Depth: 35.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 40.11°N / 54.23°E (Balkan, Turkmenistan)
Primary data source: EMSC
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/297340/Magnitude-52-earthquake-strikes-near-Balkanabat-Balkan-Turkmenistan.html