M5.1 earthquake 24 km NE of Tabas, Iran
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 24 km NE of Tabas, Iran on Wed, Jan 17, 1979, 6:59 AM GMT+3:30 (03:29 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 56 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
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-01-17 03:29:49 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 33.759° N, 57.096° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 74
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayIran earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000yfc (also filed as iscgem671117, iscgemsup671117). Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 10:14 AM UTC.