Significant earthquakes of 1879

April 2, 1879 Earthquake: Bojnurd, Iran

April 2, 1879 · M6.7 · 700 deaths

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Bojnurd, Iran on April 2, 1879, 15 km below the surface. It killed 700 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
April 2, 1879
Place
Bojnurd, Iran
Magnitude
6.7
Focal depth
15 km (9 mi)
Intensity
9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
37.500° N, 57.400° E
Country
Iran

The toll

Deaths
700
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.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1879The 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 2270.