January 3, 1864 Earthquake: Lenkoran, Niar, Ardabil, Azerbaijan, Iran
An earthquake struck Lenkoran, Niar, Ardabil, Azerbaijan, Iran on January 3, 1864. It killed 500 people.
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
- January 3, 1864
- Place
- Lenkoran, Niar, Ardabil, Azerbaijan, Iran
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.250° N, 48.280° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 500
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
January 3, 1864, the villages Ardebil, Lenkoran, Niar, Nouskhar, Gnert, Karabag, etc. destroyed, 500 victims, intensity IX, epicentre. (reference #1099)
January 3, 1864, Persia and Caucasia, Ardebil, also felt at Lenkoran, Karabagh and Shiran, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
January 3, 1864, 38.25 N, 48.28 E, intensity VIII, Ardabil. (reference #3437)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 18, 1727, Tabriz, Iran
- November 4, 1042, Tabriz, Iran
- January 8, 1780, Tabriz, Iran
- April 26, 1721, Tabriz, Iran
- June 20, 1990, Rasht, Qazvin, Zanjan, Rudbar, Manjil, Iran
- August 21, 1042, Tabriz, Iran
- February 5, 1641, Tabriz, Kurdistan, Iran
- December 27, 1779, Tabriz, Iran
- March 22, 1879, Bozqush, Ardabil, Gamrud, Tark, Manan, Iran
- 1664, Tabriz, Iran
- February 28, 1997, Ardabil, Iran
- December 1863, Nir,ardabil, Iran
- August 11, 2012, Ahar, Haris, Varzagan, Iran
- January 2, 1896, Sangabad (Senjabad), Iran
- July 29, 1272, Tabriz, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1864The 1800sRecent 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 2082.