M4.6 earthquake 45 km SSE of Tabas, Iran
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 45 km SSE of Tabas, Iran on Thu, Dec 7, 1978, 12:08 AM GMT+3:30 (20:38 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 29 km ESE of Tabas, Iran. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-06 20:38:08 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 33.221° N, 57.115° E
- Region
- Iran
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Stations used
- 43
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.530 km ENE of Tabas, Iran · 17438 days ago · 45 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.729 km ESE of Tabas, Iran · 17422 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
- 5.124 km NE of Tabas, Iran · 17416 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIran earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000xsx. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 1:58 AM UTC.