February 23, 1678 Earthquake: Gonabad, Iran
An earthquake struck Gonabad, Iran on February 23, 1678.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 23, 1678
- Place
- Gonabad, Iran
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.200° N, 58.400° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
February 23, 1678 to February 11, 1679 = 1089 A.H.L., a very destructive earthquake took place in Gonabad. The city was totally destroyed and many other places in this region demolished. It was said that the earthquake occurred on a cold winter night. (reference #1217)
1678, Gunabad. A destructive earthquake in Khurasan
destroyed many villages. The town of Gunabad was
completely ruined and the casualties were excessive.
Only the old masjid-i-jami withstood the shock and only
one person survived. The town was resettled by survivors
from the outlying villages. (reference #1117)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 21, 1336, Khaf, Iran
- September 16, 1978, Tabas, Iran
- August 31, 1968, Dasht-E-Bayaz, Iran
- January 30, 1549, Qayen (Qain),khorasan, Iran
- May 10, 1997, Birjand, Ghaen, Afghanistan, Iran
- December 19, 1618, Dughabad,khorasan, Iran
- February 16, 1941, Mohammadabad, Iran
- September 1, 1968, Ferdow, Iran
- December 14, 1925, Bajestan, Iran
- September 23, 1947, Dustabad, Iran
- September 25, 1903, Kashmar, Iran
- November 14, 1979, Khorasan, Iran
- January 16, 1979, Bonzanabad, Iran
- April 1, 1962, Mussavieh, Iran
- November 27, 1979, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1678The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1080.