The 2010 Damghan earthquake (also known as the Kuh-Zar earthquake) occurred in northern Iran at on August 27 with a
moment magnitude
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 ...
of 5.8 and maximum
Mercalli intensity
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 ...
of VII (''Very strong''). This strike-slip event damaged and destroyed a number of small villages in a sparsely populated region near the
Alborz
The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
mountain range. It left four people dead, 40 injured, and about 800 without homes. The deaths and injuries in this moderate event were attributed to the low-quality construction styles that are typical of the area. The Iranian Strong Motion Network provided data by which seismologists determined the type and extent of the slip as well as the
peak ground acceleration
Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is equal to the maximum ground acceleration that occurred during earthquake shaking at a location. PGA is equal to the amplitude of the largest absolute acceleration recorded on an accelerogram at a site during a par ...
. Other large and destructive earthquakes have affected
Semnan Province, including several events in 856 AD and 1953.
Tectonic setting
The tectonics of Iran are dominated by the
continental collision of the
Arabian and
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 ...
s. The rate of
convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
*Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that ...
has been estimated at two centimeters per year for the past 10 million years; about half of that occurs across 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 p ...
. The northern Iran region near the Alborz mountains contains numerous
reverse
Reverse or reversing may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001
* ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film
* ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film
* ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005
* ''Reverse'' ...
and
left-lateral strike-slip faults that lie to the south of the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
. The Astaneh
strike-slip fault was a likely source of the
856 Damghan earthquake
The 856 Damghan earthquake or the 856 Qumis earthquake occurred on 22 December 856 (242 AH). The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.9, and a maximum intensity of X (''Extreme'') on the Mercalli intensity scale. The meizoseismal area (a ...
that caused the largest loss of life in the
history of Iran
The history of Iran is intertwined with the history of a larger region known as Greater Iran, comprising the area from Anatolia in the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Step ...
—more than 200,000 deaths. A more recent damaging event that also occurred near the
Alborz
The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
mountain range was the
1953 Torud earthquake, in which more than 900 perished.
Earthquake
![Terremoto de Iran Agosto2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Terremoto_de_Iran_Agosto2010.jpg)
Similar to the 1953 Torud earthquake, the 2010 Damghan event took place in a rural area that exposed relatively few villages to strong shaking. It occurred at 11:53 local time in the north-central
desert region of Iran on a fault that
dipped 78° to the northwest. Fault motion occurred on a NE–SW striking fault that was almost pure left-lateral strike-slip. A
Mercalli intensity
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 ...
of VII (''Very strong'') was observed in
Kuh Zar and the nearby villages of Tuchahi,
Kelu, and
Shimi. In
Hoseynian,
Moalleman,
Satveh, and
Torud, the intensity was VI (''Strong''). Some surface cracks and
fissure
A fissure is a long, narrow crack opening along the surface of Earth. The term is derived from the Latin word , which means 'cleft' or 'crack'. Fissures emerge in Earth's crust, on ice sheets and glaciers, and on volcanoes.
Ground fissure
...
s were present near Tuchahi and
Kelu villages, but no significant
surface faulting
In seismology, surface rupture (or ground rupture, or ground displacement) is the visible offset of the ground surface when an earthquake rupture along a fault affects the Earth's surface. Surface rupture is opposed by buried rupture, where the ...
occurred.
Damage
The affected area has a low population density and has an abundance of homes that are constructed with local
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
material by unskilled workers. The unreinforced stone masonry or
adobe homes are sometimes overloaded single story structures with flat wooden
roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...
s with steel beams. Most of these types of homes suffered partial collapse and led to a number of roof collapses. Fifty homes were destroyed, 300 were damaged, including a roof cave-in that left two women dead. Overall, seven villages sustained damage and twelve were destroyed. Four people died, 40 were injured, and 800 were left homeless, but no major infrastructure (
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
s, bridges, or power stations) were impacted.
Strong motion
The first
isoseismal map
In seismology, an isoseismal map is used to show lines of equally felt seismic intensity, generally measured on the Modified Mercalli scale. Such maps help to identify earthquake epicenters, particularly where no instrumental records exist, such a ...
that was created in Iran was for the earlier 1953 Torud event. To focus on the association between the
macroseismic effects and the instrumental intensity for the 2010 event, seismologists Mohammad P. Shahvar and Mehdi Zaré conducted a field investigation and interviews. An isoseismal map that was created using the data aligned with a
ShakeMap that was created by the Tehran-based
. The closest strong motion station was about to the east of the origin of faulting and showed a horizontal acceleration of 0.55 ''
g''. The peak ground acceleration and
peak ground velocity
In seismology, strong ground motion is the strong earthquake shaking that occurs close to (less than about 50 km from) a causative fault. The strength of the shaking involved in strong ground motion usually overwhelms a seismometer, forci ...
that were attained from the Iranian Strong Motion Network were considered high for a moderate event.
Aftermath
Seventy rescue personnel and ambulances arrived at Kuh Zar. People with minor injuries were treated by paramedics and discharged; others were taken to Damghan Hospital.
Interior Minister,
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar ( fa, مصطفى محمدنجّار, born 2 December 1956) is an Iranian politician and retired IRGC general. He was interior minister of Iran from 2009 to 2013 and minister of defense in the first cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmad ...
, along with other government officials and members of the
Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), visited Kuh Zar the following day.
A temporary camp with 50 tents was established in the village. Food, beds and other necessary items were supplied to the village by the IRCS.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in 2010
Earthquakes in 2010 resulted in nearly 165,000 fatalities. Most of these were due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which caused an estimated 160,000 deaths, making it the 11th deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Other deadly quakes occurred i ...
*
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 ...
References
Sources
*
Further reading
*
*
External links
M5.8 – northern Iran–
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
5.9 magnitude Damghan earthquake, 27 August 2010– Geological Society of Iran
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Damghan earthquake
Earthquakes in Iran
2010 earthquakes
2010 in Iran
History of Semnan Province
August 2010 events in Asia
2010 disasters in Iran