October 13, 1985 Earthquake: Kaptolyuk, Kayrakkum, Gafurov, Tajikistan
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Kaptolyuk, Kayrakkum, Gafurov, Tajikistan on October 13, 1985 at 15:59:51 UTC, 16 km below the surface. It killed 29 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
- October 13, 1985
- Time
- 15:59:51 UTC
- Place
- Kaptolyuk, Kayrakkum, Gafurov, Tajikistan
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 16 km (10 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.301° N, 69.823° E
- Country
- Tajikistan
The toll
- Deaths
- 29
- Injuries
- 80
- Damage
- $200 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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 #1250 lists $200 million damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 23, 838, Fergana, Uzbekistan
- July 10, 1949, Tajikistan
- April 12, 2002, Do Abi-Nahrin, Tajikistan, Afghanistan
- July 19, 2011, Fargona, Violyati, Uzbekistan
- July 21, 2007, Rasht, Asht, Tajikistan
- April 26, 1966, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- July 10, 2021, Rasht, Tojikobod, Tajikistan
- January 9, 2002, Roghun, Tajikistan
- April 13, 2025, Rasht, Tajikistan
- May 12, 2012, Tajikistan
- July 11, 1980, Shurab, Nefteabad, Tajikistan
- January 8, 2007, Isfaria, Kyrgyzstan
- January 31, 1977, Tajikistan
- April 3, 1868, Turkestan, Tashkent, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
- March 22, 2023, Sughd, Tajikistan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1985The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1985Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 5082.