January 3, 1911 Earthquake: Alma-Ata, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

Name: January 3, 1911 Earthquake: Alma-Ata, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Start: 1911-01-03
Location: Alma-Ata, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

January 3, 1911 · M8 · 450 deaths

A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Alma-Ata, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan on January 3, 1911 at 23:25:49 UTC, 20 km below the surface. It killed 450 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: January 3, 1911
Time: 23:25:49 UTC
Place: Alma-Ata, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Magnitude: 8 (Mw)
Focal depth: 20 km (12 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 42.919° N, 76.808° E
Country: Kyrgyzstan

The toll

Deaths: 450
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #88 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25:45, 43.5 N, 77.5 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.7.

Reference #130 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25:45, 43.5 N, 77.5 E, depth 28 km, magnitude 8.4.

Reference #1212 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25:45, 43.5 N, 77.5 E, magnitude 8.4.

Reference #1314 lists magnitude 8.4 MS, 7.7 Mw.

Reference #1002 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25:45, 43.5 N, 77.5 E, magnitude 8.7 in the Kebin Valley, Ala Tau Range.

Reference #1169 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25.8 UTC, 43.5 N, 77.5 E, magnitude 8.4, in Turkestan.

Reference #1173 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, intensity X, 450 deaths, in Turkestan.

Reference #223 lists earthquake on Jan 3, 1911, 23:25:58 UTC, 42.9 N, 76.9 E, depth 25 km, magnitude 8.2, intensity X-XI.

Reference #10476 (v.10) 1911 January 03, 23:25:49.30 UTC, 42.919 N 76.808 E 20 km depth, 8.02 Mw

Reference #9910 1911 January 03, 23:25:45 UTC, 43.5 N 77.5 E, 7.8 Mw, 8.1 mB

One can take exception to part of Shpilko’s report: He extends the damaging effects of the earthquake into Afghanistan and across to the Amu Daria River. He refers to reports that in Kabul 300 houses were destroyed and 400 people killed, while at Kala-i-Yavun 60 houses collapsed and 240 people lost their lives. At Konabad (Khanabad), 70 houses fell, causing two deaths, but at Faizzabad a few houses were ruined with no fatalities. In fact these were caused by the earthquakes of 1 and 3 January 1911, with magnitude Ms 7.1 and 8.3 and centered in Afghanistan and Kyrghistan, respectively (tv; zo; Ambraseys and Bilham 2009). (reference #13726)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1911 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1911 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2919.