The 2005 Qeshm earthquake occurred on November 27 at 13:52
IRST
An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters.
IR ...
(10:22
UTC) on the sparsely populated
Qeshm Island off
Southern Iran
Southern Iran consists of the southern mountain ranges of Zagros and Central Iranian Range, Khuzestan Plain and the northern coasts of Persian Gulf and Straight of Hormuz.
It includes the provinces of Fars Province, Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Buyer Ah ...
, killing 13 people and devastating 13 villages. It was Iran's second major
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
of 2005, following the one at
Zarand in February. The
epicenter
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
was about south of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, close to Iran's southern borders. Initial measurements showed that the earthquake registered about 6.0 on the
moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...
, although that was reduced to 5.8 after further analysis. More than 400 minor
aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...
s followed the main quake, 36 of which were greater than magnitude 2.5. The earthquake occurred in a remote area during the middle of the day, limiting the number of fatalities. Iranian relief efforts were effective and largely adequate, leading the country to decline offers of support from other nations and
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
.
Qeshm Island is part of the Simply Folded Belt, the most seismically active part of the
Zagros fold and thrust belt
The Zagros fold and thrust belt (Zagros FTB) is an approximately long zone of deformed crustal rocks, formed in the foreland of the collision between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is host to one of the world's largest petroleum pr ...
. Similar to most earthquakes in the area, the 2005 event resulted from
reverse slip faulting. Since it lies in such a seismically active area, there is a high risk of destructive earthquakes in Iran; 1 in 3,000 deaths are attributable to earthquakes. One geophysicist has cited the lack of strict building codes as a serious concern.
Background
Iran experiences at least one minor earthquake per day on average,
and the Zagros region is particularly prone to seismic activity.
During the last 100 years, Iran has been hit by more than 130 events stronger than magnitude 5,
with damaging earthquakes near Qeshm recorded in 1360, 1703, 1884, 1897, 1902, and 1905. The majority of Iranian quakes occur in the upper
crust, close to the surface, which means that they are potentially more destructive.
In terms of
earthquake protection, Iran was named the "worst offender" in 2004 by Professor Roger Bilham of the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
.
Bilham, a
geophysicist
Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...
who specializes in earthquake-related deformation and hazards, blames construction practices for many of the deaths in Iranian earthquakes. Since the start of the 20th century 1 in 3,000 Iranians have died in earthquake-related incidents.
[ The United Nations' Common Country Assessment for Iran states that the greatest damage occurs in rural areas, for which no building code exists. Large cities have a building code that takes account of the seismic hazard, but it is not rigorously followed, despite the susceptibility of three quarters of Iranian major cities to damaging earthquakes.][United Nations Common Country Assessment for the Islamic Republic of Iran (2003), pg 59.] The risk posed by poor engineering is of significant concern to the populace and an impediment to economic development. The 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake, with at least 42,000 fatalities, cost Iran roughly 7.2 percent of its Gross National Product
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
(GNP) for that year, and wiped out two years of economic growth.[
]
Geological setting
Iran lies within the complex zone of collision
In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great fo ...
between the Arabian Plate
The Arabian Plate is a minor tectonic plate in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.
It is one of the three continental plates (along with the African and the Indian Plates) that have been moving northward in geological history and collidin ...
and the Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate that includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent and ...
; near Qeshm the rate of convergence is about 25 millimeters annually. Part of this convergence is accommodated by crustal shortening and thickening within the Zagros fold and thrust belt, with the remainder occurring to the north of the Iranian Plateau
The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It comprises part of the Eurasian Plate and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate; situated between the Zagros ...
. The most active part of the Zagros is the Simply Folded Belt, which is characterised by large folds formed above a layer of late Neoproterozoic
The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago.
It is the last era of the Precambrian Supereon and the Proterozoic Eon; it is subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran periods. It is ...
to Early Cambrian
The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ago ( ...
Hormuz salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
, which locally reaches the surface in the crests of some anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...
s as salt diapir
A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered using ...
s. The sequence of sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...
s above the salt layer comprises a basal Cambrian
The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...
conglomerate beneath a thick sequence of limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
s of Palaeozoic
The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon.
The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838
by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and '' ...
to late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
age, known together as the " Competent Group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
" owing to their relatively high mechanical strength
The field of strength of materials, also called mechanics of materials, typically refers to various methods of calculating the stresses and strains in structural members, such as beams, columns, and shafts. The methods employed to predict the re ...
, overlain by a sequence of weaker marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
s and interbedded
In geology, interbedding occurs when beds (layers of rock) of a particular lithology lie between or alternate with beds of a different lithology. For example, sedimentary rocks may be interbedded if there were sea level variations in their sedim ...
limestones of latest Cretaceous to early Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
age, topped by Neogene
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
s and conglomerates. There is evidence of intermediate level detachment at some of the weaker layers, which means that folds at different stratigraphic
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...
levels may have different locations, orientations, or wavelength
In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...
s. Measurements of earthquake focal mechanism
The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and is ...
s and hypocentral depths show that shortening is accommodated by a mixture of high-angle and low-angle reverse faulting, within either the lowest part of the sedimentary cover or in the basement
A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor. It generally is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, ...
beneath the Hormuz salt.[Talebian ''et al.'', pgs 506–526.]
The island of Qeshm is elongated WSW–ENE, parallel to the coastline and the regional trend of the main fold axes. Neogene sedimentary rocks outcrop at the surface over the whole island, apart from a diapir of older Hormuz salt that pierces through to the surface at its western end. The sediments are affected by a series of large, mainly anticlinal folds that show a variety of trends in the central part of the island. The axis of the Laft anticline runs mainly NW–SE, while the Salakh anticline trends roughly W–E and the Suza anticline and Ramkan syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimpose ...
trend SW–NE. The island shows clear evidence of recent uplift in the form of marine terrace
A raised beach, coastal terrace,Pinter, N (2010): 'Coastal Terraces, Sealevel, and Active Tectonics' (educational exercise), from 2/04/2011/ref> or perched coastline is a relatively flat, horizontal or gently inclined surface of marine origin,P ...
s, with the highest terrace identified at above sea level. An uplift rate of 0.2 millimeters annually has been estimated from uranium series dating
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weakl ...
(230 Th/234 U) of aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including prec ...
from coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
s on the terraces.
Characteristics
The earthquake was initially measured at 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...
, although later analysis suggests a slightly lower value of 5.8.[Nissen ''et al.'' 2010, pg 186.] The epicenter
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
was near the village of Gavarzin in central Qeshm,[Nissen ''et al.'', 2007, pg 3.] and a hypocentral depth of was estimated. The focal mechanism derived for the earthquake indicates that it was the result of reverse faulting on a fault plane dipping either to the north at 50° or to the south-southeast at 40°.[ No evidence has been found of surface faulting, but a 3-kilometer-long (2 mi) set of ]bedding
Bedding, also known as bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environm ...
-parallel cracks was observed on the northwestern flank of the Ramkan syncline, interpreted as representing probable slip along bedding planes, possibly due to further tightening of this fold. Other NW–SE trending tensional cracks observed further southwest along the syncline are more likely to be due to salt movement at depth.
Surface displacement during the earthquake was measured using SAR interferometry. The computed area of uplift is elongated W-E, with a maximum value of about centered over the eastern end of the Latif anticline. A smaller area of subsidence was observed to the south of the uplifted area, and the lack of a sharp boundary between the two suggests that the fault does not come to the surface. The pattern of displacement is consistent with a north-dipping fault rupturing between about and in depth, which also provides a good match to the results of seismic modeling using body waves
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...
, although a SSE-dipping plane remains possible. This depth range strongly suggests that the fault affected the lower part of the sedimentary cover, while not ruling out some basement involvement. The mismatch between the orientation of the fault planes that caused the earthquake and the observed surface folds suggests that deformation at these two levels is decoupled by the presence of a detachment, possibly within marl layers.[Nissen ''et al.'' 2010, pg 193.]
Most aftershocks occurred at significantly greater depths than the mainshock and are dominated by strike-slip
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
focal mechanisms. This suggests that the mainshock triggered later movement on a complex set of right and left lateral strike-slip faults within the basement, together accommodating north-south shortening beneath the Hormuz salt layer.[Yaminifard ''et al.'' 2012, pgs 138–147.]
On September 10, 2008, there was another major earthquake on Qeshm, with a magnitude of 5.9 and hypocentral depth of . The pattern of uplift observed for this earthquake is also consistent with rupturing within the lower sedimentary sequence, but on a fault with two segments, dipping overall to the southeast. The earthquakes of 2005 and 2008 may have ruptured adjacent segments of the same southeast-dipping reverse fault. Seven deaths were reported as a result of the 2008 earthquake.
Damage and casualties
The earthquake hit at 13:52:19 IRST
An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters.
IR ...
, or 1:52 pm (10:22:19 UTC),[Nissen ''et al.'' 2007, pg 1.] and lasted between 10 and 30 seconds. It killed 13 people and injured 100 on Qeshm Island. In Zirang (Ziranag), a village on Qeshm, 80 percent of the buildings were demolished. Seven villages experienced extensive damage, and 13 villages were destroyed: Tonban, Ramekan, Gevarzin, Khaledin, Direstan, Kushe
Kushe ( ne, कुशे गाउँपालिका) is a rural municipality located in Jajarkot District of Karnali Province of Nepal.
According to Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration Kushe has an area of and the total ...
, Karavan
Karavan ( ) was a hard rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1997. The band was founded by former Awaz lead guitarist Asad Ahmed with bassist Sameer Ahmed, who were soon joined by drummer Allan Smith and vocalist Najam Sheraz. ...
, Turyan
The Turyan ( az, Türyan), also called Turyanchay ( az, Türyançay) is a river of Azerbaijan. It flows through Qabala Rayon, Qabala and Goychay Rayon, Goychay raions. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .
Overview
Turyanchay starts off at R ...
, Tom senati, Gorbehdan, Ziranag, Giahdan, and Gourian. There were reports of intensity III effects on the Mercalli scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
from Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musan ...
, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
, Ajman
Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is ...
, Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, Fujairah
Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
and Ras al-Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
; Intensity IV (''Light'') effects occurred at Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital o ...
. Shaking from the earthquake was also noted in Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
.[ No major damage occurred directly at the epicenter; residents of Qeshm reported that the shaking smashed windows, leading citizens to evacuate their homes fearing collapse.][ In total more than 2,000 people were affected.
One major hospital damaged by the earthquake was inundated with the injured and lacked medical supplies for treatment. An airport on the epicentral island sustained damage, and power lines on the island were severed.][ The director of ]Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
's seismological building dismissed fears of a tsunami, saying that the Persian Gulf was not deep enough to allow for one. In one school, some people suffered broken legs when the building collapsed, but there were no fatalities.[ Buildings in Dubai, including the ]Emirates Towers
The Emirates Towers ( ar, أبراج الإمارات) is a building complex in Dubai that contains the Emirates Office Tower and Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, which are connected by a two-story retail complex known as "The Boulevard". The ...
,[ were evacuated because of concerns that the structures might collapse, but no such incidents occurred. One woman described the locals as "panicked".] Television stations throughout Iran released footage of quake damage and of injured residents being taken to hospitals.
A landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
and 36 major aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...
s of more than magnitude 2.5 (in total, 400 aftershocks) followed the earthquake.[ A former ]Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
fortress, built by Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...
in 1507, sustained heavy damage to its eastern wall but otherwise remained intact.
If the earthquake had occurred during the early morning while residents were asleep, rather than mid-afternoon (1:52 pm local time),[ it could have been deadlier as housing in the epicentral area consisted chiefly of mud and brick.][
]
Relief efforts and aftermath
Aid workers from the domestic region began delivering supplies such as food, blankets, and tents.[ A dispatch of 101 relief helpers, 40 IRCS staff, and four people from the public relations department at ]ReliefWeb
ReliefWeb is a humanitarian information portal founded in 1996. The portal now hosts more than 720,000 humanitarian situation reports, press releases, evaluations, guidelines, assessments, maps and infographics. The portal is an independent vehi ...
also assisted survivors. Three ambulances, 46 trucks, three helicopters, 12 vans, nine cars, two minibuses, and two sniffer dog
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used by ...
s were also dispatched to help citizens of quake-struck areas.
Injured residents were transported to Bandar Abbas by helicopter. An Iranian police official, citing concerns about possible looting
Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
, said all movement into and out of damaged houses would require prior approval from the governor's office, the police, and the Unexpected Events Committee on the island. UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
offered assistance to Iran, and the official in charge of response stated: "we are preparing to respond if needed". They elaborated that the Iranian authorities "appeared to have things under control".[
In 2007, the Asian Centre on Seismic Risk Reduction was formed in response to the regular earthquakes experienced in south, west, and central Asia, to "encourage regional and inter-regional networking and partnerships to reduce seismic damage". Earthquakes account for 73 percent of natural disaster deaths in these locations.]
See also
*List of earthquakes in 2005
This is a list of earthquakes in 2005. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they resulted in significant damage or casualties, or were notable for some other reason. All dates are listed according to UTC time. To prevent ...
*List of earthquakes in Iran
Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major faults that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.
Geology and history
The Iranian ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{featured article
2005 disasters in Iran
Qeshm Earthquake, 2005
Qeshm Earthquake, 2005
2005 Qeshm
History of Hormozgan Province