M5.9 earthquake 117 km NNE of Bandar Abbas, Iran
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 117 km NNE of Bandar Abbas, Iran on Fri, Dec 18, 1987, 7:54 PM GMT+3:30 (16:24 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-18 16:24:03 UTC
- Depth
- 19.8 km (12.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.191° N, 56.677° E
- Region
- Iran
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.82 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.8 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
| 6.04 | Me, energy | Choy, USGS energy magnitude | Reviewed |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt in the Hajjiabad area. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=16 Dip=64 Slip=90 NP2:Strike=196 Dip=26 Slip=90 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=71 Azm=286 (P) Plg=19 Azm=106 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to normal faulting. The preferred fault plane is not determined. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 7 Focal mech. M Energy 2.9+1.0*10**13 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 22 No. of sta: 17 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-4.42 Mtt=0.25 Mff=4.17 Mrt=-1.19 Mrf=-1.26 Mtf=1.21 Principal axes: (T) Val=4.78 Plg=10 Azm=107 (N) Val=0.03 Plg=9 Azm=199 (P) Val=-4.80 Plg=77 Azm=332 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.8*10**17 NP1:Strike=186 Dip=36 Slip=-106 NP2:Strike=25 Dip=55 Slip=-79 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 14S, 36C Centroid Location: Origin Time 16:24: 5.5 0.3 Lat 27.90N 0.04 Lon 56.42E 0.04 Dep 15.0 BDY Half-duration 3.0 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-3.38 0.16 Mtt=-2.25 0.25 Mff=5.63 0.21 Mrt=-3.54 0.45 Mrf=-2.69 0.71 Mtf=1.13 0.15 Principal Axes: (T) Val=6.88 Plg=19 Azm=105 (N) Val=-0.32 Plg=32 Azm=207 (P) Val=-6.56 Plg=51 Azm=349 Best Double Couple:Mo=6.7*10**17 NP1:Strike=155 Dip=39 Slip=-149 NP2:Strike=40 Dip=71 Slip=-56
From the USGS event page for usp0003bd4. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 16.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.4 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 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 usp0003bd4 (also filed as choy19871218162403, gcmtb121887c, gcmt19871218162405, atlas19871218162404, iscgem451010). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:55 AM UTC.