1978 Tabas earthquake

The 1978 Tabas earthquake (Persian: زمین‌لرزه ۱۳۵۷ طبس) occurred on September 16 at 19:05:55 local time in central Iran. The shock measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX+ (Violent). The death toll was in the range of 15,000–25,000, with severe damage occurring in the town of Tabas.

1978 Tabas earthquake

View of Tabas following the quake
Tehran
UTC time	1978-09-16 15:35:55
ISC event	676813
USGS-ANSS	ComCat
Local date	September 16, 1978 (1978-09-16)
Local time	19:05:55 IRST
Magnitude	7.4 Mw [1]
Depth	10 km (6.2 mi) [1]
Epicenter	33.21°N 57.48°E / 33.21; 57.48 [1]
Type	Dip-slip[2]
Areas affected	Iran
Total damage	$11 million [2]
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent) [3]
Peak acceleration	0.8 g [4]
Aftershocks	5.0 Mw  Sept 17 at 08:17 [5]
Casualties	15,000–25,000 [2]

Eighty percent of the human deaths occurred in Tabas, but a total of 85 villages were also affected. This seismic force was felt in Tehran, about 610 kilometers (380 mi) away. About 55–85 km (34–53 mi) of ground deformation was observed, with about 1.7 meters (5 ft 7 in) of maximum slip. Only one significant M5 aftershock occurred.^[4]

Damage

The earthquake destroyed or severely damaged around 90 villages. The town of Tabas was completely destroyed. Nearly 85% of the population was killed.^[6]

60 villages were badly damaged, including Ferdows, where 80 percent of the city was destroyed. Reportedly, two-thirds of Iran, including the capital city of Tehran, felt the earthquake.^[7]

Manuel Berberian reported over 20,000 people were killed and 15,000 housing units destroyed.^[6]

See also

• List of earthquakes in 1978
• List of earthquakes in Iran

References

1. ISC (19 January 2015), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 2.0, International Seismological Centre
2. USGS (September 4, 2009), PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey
3. Berberian, M. (2014), Earthquakes and Coseismic Surface Faulting on the Iranian Plateau, Developments in Earth Surface Processes (1st ed.), Elsevier, p. 609, ISBN 978-0-444-63297-5
4. Ambraseys, N. N.; Melville, C. P.; Adams, R. D. (2005), The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia and the Red Sea: A Historical Review, Cambridge University Press, pp. 103, 104, 110, ISBN 978-0-521-02025-1
5. USGS. "M5.0 - eastern Iran". United States Geological Survey.
6. Berberian, Manuel (1982). "Afterstock tectonics of the 1978 Tabas-e-Golshan (Iran) earthquake sequence: a documented active 'thin and thick-skinned tectonic' case". Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 68 (2): 499–530. Bibcode:1982GeoJ...68..499B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1982.tb04912.x.
7. "Massive Earthquake Devastates Iran, Killing 15,000 and Destroying Towns | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.

External links

• M7.4 – eastern Iran – United States Geological Survey
• The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.