7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Tajikistan near the Chinese border.

 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Tajikistan near the Chinese border.

The epicentre was roughly 82 kilometers from the nearest Chinese border and was felt strongly in Kashgar and Artux in the western section of the Xinjiang province.

BEIJING – An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale rocked eastern Tajikistan on Thursday. The earthquake struck at at 5:37 a.m. local time (0037 GMT) at a depth of roughly 20.5 kilometers (12.7 miles).

According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and was 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep. Nevertheless, preliminary seismic readings taken by several organizations, including the USGS, frequently disagree in reporting the magnitude of the earthquake.

The center of the earthquake appears to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous province bordering Afghanistan and China, around 67 kilometers from the small mountain town of Murghob. Following the original quake, the region witnessed a 5.0-magnitude aftershock, followed by a 4.6-magnitude earthquake around 20 minutes later.

The earthquake happened in a sparsely inhabited area bordered by the lofty Pamir Mountains. Lake Sarez, one of Tajikistan's largest lakes with an aquamarine tint, is located in this area and was formed as a consequence of an earthquake in 1911. Beyond Lake Sarez, a natural dam deep in the Pamir mountains exists, and scientists have warned that if the dam fails, the effects will be disastrous.