At magnitude 7.7, this was the largest earthquake in Iran in 300 years, yet caused relatively few casualties due to its remote location and 80 km depth.
Key Facts
- Moment Magnitude
- 7.7
- Depth
- 80 km
- Deaths
- 35 people
- Duration
- ~25 seconds
- Buildings demolished (Mashkel)
- ~85%
- Largest in Iran
- Last 300 years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake resulted from stress at the boundary between the subducting Arabian plate and the overriding Eurasian plate. The shock originated at an intermediate depth of approximately 80 km within the Arabian plate lithosphere in a seismically active region of southeastern Iran near the Pakistan border.
On 16 April 2013, at 15:14 IRDT, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck a mountainous area between Saravan and Khash in Sistan and Balochistan province, Iran. Lasting about 25 seconds, it was the largest earthquake recorded in Iran in 300 years, equaling the magnitude of the 1721 East Azerbaijan earthquake.
Thirty-five people were killed, and approximately 85 percent of buildings in the town of Mashkel, near the epicenter, were demolished. The relatively modest death toll, compared to historical earthquakes of similar magnitude in Iran, was attributed largely to the quake's great depth and the sparse population of the affected mountainous region.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 35 (earthquake)