Strong dangerous M 5.7 earthquake in Lake Issyk Kul Region, eastern Kazakhstan

Strong magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit eastern Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 21:20:57 UTC. The seismological agencies are reporting a magnitude of M5.7 at a depth in between 10 and 25 km. These parameters are making this earthquake moderately dangerous. The epicenter was 105 km (65 miles) NNE of Karakol (Przhevalsk), Kyrgyzstan, 148 km (91 miles) E of Almaty, Kazakhstan, 183 km (113 miles) S of Taldyqorghan, Kazakhstan, 1028 km (638 miles) SE of Astana (Tselinograd), Kazakhstan (43.388°N, 78.773°E).

The epicenter is very close to the Charyn Canyon. Charyn Canyon is an 80 km canyon in Kazakhstan on the Charyn River, 200 km east of Almaty, close to the Chinese border. It is part of the Charyn National Park, which is located within the territory of the Uyghur and Kegen Districts of the Almaty Province. The epicenter is in a broad valley, called the Lake Issyk Kul Region, at an altitude of 1200 meter.