A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck North Khorasan, Iran, killing 88 people, injuring nearly 2,000, and destroying four villages.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- Mw 6.5
- Deaths
- 88 people
- Injured
- 1,948 people
- Villages affected
- 173 villages
- Villages destroyed
- 4 villages
- Estimated damage
- Over US$30 million
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Kopet Dag mountain range along the Iran–Turkmenistan border is a seismically active zone where ongoing tectonic accommodation occurs through faulting. Shallow strike-slip faulting along this system of active faults created the conditions for a significant seismic event in North Khorasan.
On 4 February 1997 at 14:07 IRST, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, approximately 579 km northeast of Tehran. The shallow-focus event was characterized by strike-slip faulting and affected Bojnord and Shirvan counties.
The earthquake killed 88 people and injured 1,948 others across 173 villages, four of which were entirely destroyed. Damage extended to Shirvan and Bojnord counties, with total estimated losses exceeding US$30 million.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 88 (earthquake)