Sunday 21 February 2021

Dozens injured following Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake in Iran.

The Iranian Seismological Center recorded a Maginitude 5.6 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km roughly 11 km to the east of the city of Sisakht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, at about 10.05 pm local time (about 6.35 pm GMT) on Wednesday 17 June 2020. There have been no reported fatalities associated with this event, but at least 43 people were injured, and many buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

 
A damaged building in the city of Semirom in Isfahan Province, Iran, following an Earthquake on 17 February 2021. Gulf Times.

Iran is situated on the southern margin of the Eurasian Plate. Immediately to the south lies the Arabian Plate, which is being pushed northward by the impact of Africa from the south. This has created a zone of faulting and fold mountains along the southwest coast of the country, known as the Zagros Thrust Belt, while to the northeast of this the geology is dominated by three large tectonic blocks, the Central Iran, Lut and Helmand, which move separately in response to pressure from the south, stretching and compressing the rock layers close to the surface and creating frequent Earthquakes, some of which can be very large.

The movement of the Arabian Plate and extent of the Zagros Thrust Belt. Rasoul Sorkhabi/Geo ExPro.

To the northeast of this the geology is dominated by three large tectonic blocks, the Central Iran, Lut and Helmand, which move separately in response to pressure from the south, stretching and compressing the rock layers close to the surface and again creating frequent Earthquakes.

The population of Iran is particularly at risk from Earthquakes as, unlike most other Earthquake-prone nations, very few buildings in the country are quake-resistant. The majority of residential buildings in Iran are made of mud-brick, a building material particularly vulnerable to Earthquakes as the bricks often liquefy, trapping people inside and quickly asphyxiating them with dust. This is particularly dangerous at night when the majority of people are inside sleeping.

 
Section through the Zagros Fold Belt. Sarkarinejad & Azizi (2007).

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