6.3 Magnitude Quake Strikes Iran, at Least 30 Dead

A 6.3 magnitude shallow earthquake struck near the southern Iranian city of Bandar Bushehr, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) . The website Earthquake-Report.com reported that at least 30 people have died following the strong quake Tuesday morning. Reports about the earthquake continue to be updated and the number of dead and injured are expected to rise throughout the coming days.

* The number of injured is more than 800.

* The Iranian government reported that at least 23 villages have been affected by the quake.

* Earthquake-Report.com reported that the shaking from this quake was felt in Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi-Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Some buildings were evacuated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

* Some landslides have resulted because of the quake.

* Earthquake-Report.com reported that two towns (Baghani and Senate) in Khormoj may have been totally destroyed by the earthquake.

* Villages in Kaki has seen total destruction of some homes.

* Rescuers are working to find survivors and using dogs to help in the search.

* The location of the quake was very close to Iran's only nuclear power station, but officials from the Russian company that built the plant have stated that there was no damage, according to Reuters .

* The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was 89 miles southeast of Bushehr. The nuclear plant is located 11 miles south of Bushehr.

* The USGS registered several aftershocks following the 6.3 magnitude mainshock. Most of the aftershocks were in the 4-magnitude range with one measuring 5.4 in magnitude.

* According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred within the Arabian plate, but not on a boundary fault where two plates meet, such as the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Such intraplate tremors are not as common as earthquakes that occur at the location of a plate boundary.

* Historically, the largest magnitude quakes that have been registered in Iran have been in the 7.3 to 7.4 range, according to the USGS.

* The largest number of fatalities attributed to an earthquake occurred in the year 856 in Damgahn. That quake resulted in 200,000 deaths but the magnitude is unknown.

* In recent years, the most devastating and deadly quake to strike Iran occurred in 1990, according to the USGS , when a 7.4 magnitude quake struck western Iran. That quake left approximately 50,000 people while injuring another 60,000. Approximately 400,000 people were left homeless following the quake and the landslides and massive destruction that resulted from the tremor.

Tammy Lee Morris is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member and is a trained Skywarn Storm Spotter through the National Weather Service. She has received interpretive training regarding the New Madrid Seismic Zone through EarthScope -- a program of the National Science Foundation. She researches and writes about emergency preparedness, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, weather and other natural phenomena.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/6-3-magnitude-quake-strikes-iran-least-30-202800485.html

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