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M1.8 Earthquake near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq — 15 December 2024

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.8 was recorded near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq on , with an epicentre 6 km east-southeast of As Sulaymānīyah, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 2nd strongest of 2 earthquakes recorded in Iraq in the preceding 30 days.

1.8 Micro

Time (UTC): 2024-12-15 00:00:30

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.8 (micro)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 35.5469, 45.5007

Location: 6 km ESE of As Sulaymānīyah, Iraq

Country: Iraq

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 50, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 35.5469, 45.5007 — 6 km east-southeast of As Sulaymānīyah. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.1 earthquake 86 km west of here on 31 July 2026.

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.

14 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.2 event near Javānrūd on 20 July 2026. This M1.8 event released about 125,893 times less energy than that event.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the December 2024 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Iraq during December 2024. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide

Questions about this earthquake

How strong is a magnitude 1.8 earthquake?

Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Sulaymaniyah?

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

Was the M1.8 earthquake near Sulaymaniyah felt?

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Sulaymaniyah?

14 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.2 event near Javānrūd on 20 July 2026. This M1.8 event released about 125,893 times less energy than that event.