Magnitude 5.0 earthquake strikes near Bushehr in southern Iran
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck southern Iran late on Friday, 31 October, with its epicentre about 115 kilometres south-east of the port city of Bushehr, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The quake hit at 21:20 UTC — 00:50 local time on Saturday, 1 November — at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
No tsunami warning, watch or advisory was issued. As of writing, no damage or casualty reports had been published, and no felt reports had been logged by the monitoring services tracking the event. The USGS said its reading of the quake had been reviewed by a seismologist.
Southern Iran recorded another, smaller tremor earlier on Saturday: a magnitude 4.3 quake about 54 kilometres west of Gerash, also at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to USGS data.
Why it matters
A magnitude 5.0 quake is classed as moderate, and because this one was shallow, its shaking would have been felt more strongly near the epicentre than a deeper quake of the same size. Quakes in this range can damage poorly built structures, though well-built buildings usually escape with little harm.
Iran sits on several major fault lines and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, so tremors of this size in the south are not unusual. Bushehr province is also home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant, on the Gulf coast near Bushehr city. There were no reports of any impact on the plant, and the epicentre was about 115 kilometres from the city.
What happens next
Seismologists will keep monitoring the area for aftershocks, and the USGS figures may be revised slightly as more data is reviewed. Damage reports, if any, are likely to come from local authorities in Bushehr province in the hours after the quake, and any updates will be added here.
Sources
- https://earthquaketoday.org/iran/bushehr-iran-M5.0-us7000tukm (Earthquake Today, 31 October 2026)
- https://quakewire.com/quake/20261031-m5-0-bushehr-iran-00tukm (Quakewire, 31 October 2026)
- https://terremoto.developers.do/earthquakes/us7000tukm (Terremoto, USGS data, 31 October 2026)
- https://terremoto.developers.do/earthquakes/us7000tujw (Terremoto, USGS data, 31 October 2026)
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
