1909 Borujerd earthquake
The 1909 Borujerd earthquake also known as Silakhor earthquake occurred in Silakhor plain (in the south of today's Borujerd County), Persia (modern day Iran) on January 23. Around 8,000 fatalities were caused directly from the magnitude 7.3 earthquake. An indefinite number of aftershocks continued for six months after the main shock. The section on this fault ruptured was the same as the main rupture zone of the 2006 Borujerd earthquake.
   Tehran | |
| UTC time | 1909-01-23 02:48:28 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 16958011 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 23 January 1909 |
| Local time | 08:18 |
| Magnitude | ML 7.3 |
| Epicenter | 33.0°N 53.0°E [1] |
| Areas affected | Iran |
| Max. intensity | IX (Violent) [2] |
| Casualties | 6,000–8,000 dead [1] |
Earthquake
Occurring on the local Dorood Fault, the tremor caused 40 kilometers (25 mi) of visible surface faulting.[3]
Damage
Sixty villages within the region were either completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Casualties were extensive, occurring in 130 individual villages.[3] However, damage was contained within a 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi) area. Eight thousand were killed in this sector along with several thousand animals.[4] Damage was worst within the epicentral area (Silakhor Valley) and surrounding valleys populated by domestic tribes. Signs of ground failure and landslides was evident for another 20–30 kilometres (12–19 mi) southeast of the epicenter.[4]
References
- Ambraseys, N. N.; Melville, C. P. (2005), A History of Persian Earthquakes, Cambridge University Press, pp. 69, 70, 164, ISBN 978-0521021876
- Berberian, M. (2014), Earthquakes and Coseismic Surface Faulting on the Iranian Plateau, Developments in Earth Surface Processes (1st ed.), Elsevier, p. 592, ISBN 978-0444632920
- USGS (January 16, 2008). "Earthquakes with 1,000 or More Deaths since 1900". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008.
- Ambraseys, N.N. (1974). "Seismicity of Iran: The Silakhor (Luristan) Earthquake of 23rd, January, 1909". Annals of Geophysics. Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia. 27 (3–4): 399–427.