2013 Saravan earthquake
UTC time | 2013-04-16 10:44:20 |
---|---|
ISC event | 606824152 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | April 16, 2013 |
Local time | 15:14 IRDT |
Magnitude | 7.7 Mw |
Depth | 82 km (51 mi) |
Epicenter | 28°06′25″N 62°03′11″E / 28.107°N 62.053°E |
Areas affected | Iran Pakistan |
Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe)[1] |
Casualties | 35 deaths (1 in Iran, 34 in Pakistan) 117 injured[2] |
The 2013 Saravan earthquake occurred with a
It was the largest earthquake in Iran within the last 300 years, equal in magnitude to the one that shook East Azerbaijan in 1721, killing up to 250,000 people,[6] and possibly the largest in the last half-century.[2] The earthquake followed a magnitude 6.3 event near Bushehr. The town of Mashkel was close to the quake's epicentre, and around 85 percent of the city's buildings were demolished.[7] Thirty-five people were killed in the earthquake.
Primary effects
The earthquake struck 83 kilometres (52 mi) east of the city of
Tectonics
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2018) |
The quake reportedly occurred within the subducting Arabian Plate below the overriding Eurasian Plate. The Strait of Hormuz separates two forms of plate collision. To the northwest, continental crust portions of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates are colliding, resulting in compressive faulting. To the southeast, dense oceanic crust of the Arabian Plate is subducting underneath the Eurasian Plate at the Makran Trench.[13]
Iran lies on the fault line between the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate. The collision of these two plates cause most of the earthquakes that strike Iran. The specific area of the fault that lies below the
Earthquake activity
There has been an increase in earthquake activity in not only
Subduction
Subduction usually occurs at convergent fault lines. The underlying tectonic plate descends, or subducts, into the Earth's mantle. Earthquakes occurring at these faults are very large in magnitude and scale. In this case the disappearing Arabian plate is part of the oceanic crust while the Eurasia plate is part of the continental crust.
The Makran region
The Makran Region Of Pakistan and Iran is characterized by three mountain ranges. These mountain ranges, the Makran Coastal Range, the Central Makran Range, and the Siahan Range, are located in the southwestern area of the Baluchestan province of Pakistan. These ranges are the product of years of collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasia tectonic plate. The Makran Region is also the covering point of three tectonic plates. The Indian plate, Eurasia plate, and the Arabian plate meet and converge in this area.
Preparedness and response
Scientific preparedness
There is no method to accurately predict an earthquake, however, there are systems which attempt to give
One study conducted in California, United States suggests there may be a new way to more precisely presage earthquakes.[14] This group of scientists, composed of scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science, Rice University, and the University of California, Berkeley monitored earthquake waves in the San Andreas Fault using seismometers for twenty years.[14] This group discovered cracks in the fault filled with fluids.[14] The scientists noticed that these fluids shifted after being disrupted by seismic activity.[14] Shifting fluids cause faults to weaken, making them more prone to earthquakes.[14]
The Red Crescent
The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies is a nongovernmental organization founded at the
On April 9, 2013, the IFRC deployed seventy-five rescue teams to northwestern Iran following a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.[16] The next day over 800 volunteers were in the disaster area helping those affected.[16] A week later a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Iran, the IFRC dispatched air assessment teams in addition to forty ambulances.[16] While the first earthquake was much more destructive, the IFRC was still able to aid both disaster areas.[16]
In June 2013, the IFRC and
Damage and casualties
Casualties by country[2] | Dead | Injured |
---|---|---|
Pakistan | 34 | 105 |
Iran | 1 | 12 |
The afternoon of April 16, 2013 rocked the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran and Pakistan.[18] The earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale, was not only felt in this southeastern area of Iran and Pakistan but also as far away as India's capital city of Delhi.[19] The rural city of Khash, the closest city to the epicenter, is part of Iran's most impoverished province.[18] Most of the citizens of the Sistan and Baluchestan province live in either mud shacks or tents.[19] The lack of actual structures contributed to the minimal damage which occurred due to this earthquake.[19] Another contributing factor is the depth of the epicenter.[19] The epicenter of this earthquake was located fifty-nine miles beneath the earth's surface causing damage that would normally be found after an earthquake measuring 4.0 magnitude on the Richter magnitude scale.[19] About 127 people were injured, however these injuries were mostly minor broken bones, and the deaths totaled thirty-five people on both the Iranian and Pakistani side of the earthquake.[20]
See also
References
- ^ a b "M7.7 - 83km E of Khash, Iran: Tectonic Summary". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "BBC News — Major earthquake strikes south-east Iran". BBC News. London: BBC. 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
- ^ "Reports: Dozens feared dead after strong quake rocks Iran, Pakistan — CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ^ "Major quake jolts southeastern Iran — Central & South Asia". Al Jazeera English. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ^ "Iran Earthquake | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com". Live.reuters.com. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ^ "Earthquake flattens Pakistan town". 3 News NZ. April 19, 2013. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ "MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE HITS IRAN, TREMORS FELT ACROSS OMAN, REGION". 2013-04-16. Archived from the original on 2013-04-20. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
- ^ "Tremors create panic in EP, Riyadh". 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
- ^ "Major Earthquake strikes India, Pakistan, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan". Biharprabha News. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "Iran officially denied the 40 deaths today". Earthquake Report. 2013-04-16. Archived from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "Hundreds feared killed after strong 7.8-magnitude quake hits Iran". The Globe and Mail. 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ^ "The transition between Makran subduction and the Zagros collision: recent advances in its structure and Active deformation", V. Regard et al, Geological Society of London 330 (2010) 41-64 ,DOI : 10.1144/SP330.4 (2010)
- ^ a b c d e Carnegie Institution (1 October 2009). "New Way To Monitor Faults May Help Predict Earthquakes". Science Daily. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (16 April 2013). "Massive earthquake strikes in south east Iran". Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (17 June 2013). "Launch of the IFRC and Iranian Red Crescent partnership on urban disaster risk reduction and management". IFRC. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ^ a b Erdbrink, Thomas (16 April 2013). "Powerful Earthquake Strikes in Iran". New York Times. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Major earthquake strikes south-east Iran". BBC News. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ^ Karimi, Nasser; Rebecca Santana (17 April 2013). "Iran Earthquake 2013: Large Quake Reportedly Felt Across Middle East Region". Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
Further reading
- Barnhart, William D.; Hayes, Gavin P.; Samsonov, Sergey V.; Fielding, Eric J.; Seidman, Lily E. (2014), "Breaking the oceanic lithosphere of a subducting slab: The 2013 Khash, Iran earthquake", Geophysical Research Letters, 41 (1): 32–36, S2CID 135394225
- Pundhir, Devbrat; Singh, Birbal; Singh, O.P. (2014), "Anomalous TEC variations associated with the strong Pakistan-Iran border region earthquake of 16 April 2013 at a low latitude station Agra, India", Advances in Space Research, 53 (2): 226–232,
- Rafi, Muhammad Masood; Lodi, Sarosh H.; Ahmed, Muhammad; Alam, Naveed (2015), "Observed damages in Pakistan due to 16 April 2013 Iran earthquake", Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 13 (2): 703–724, S2CID 128834512
External links
- Tectonics of the Arabian Plate – Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.