January 23, 1909 Earthquake: Silakor, Iran

Name: January 23, 1909 Earthquake: Silakor, Iran
Start: 1909-01-23
Location: Silakor, Iran

January 23, 1909 · M7.3 · 5,500 deaths

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Silakor, Iran on January 23, 1909 at 02:48:29 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 5,500 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 23, 1909
Time: 02:48:29 UTC
Place: Silakor, Iran
Magnitude: 7.3 (Mw)
Focal depth: 15 km (9 mi)
Intensity: 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 34.306° N, 50.396° E
Country: Iran

The toll

Deaths: 5,500
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

Reference #1138 lists Jan 23, 1909, 02:48 UTC, 33.4 N, 49.1 E, magnitude 7.3, Silakhor, Iran, earthquake caused 5500 deaths and damage estimated at £10000. (reference #1138)

Reference #88 lists earthquake on Jan 23, 1909, 02:48 UTC, 33 N, 50 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.7.

Reference #130 lists earthquake on Jan 23, 1909, 02:48.3 UTC, 33 N, 55 E, magnitude 7.4.

Reference #1002 lists earthquake on Jan 23, 1909. E. of Isfahan, magnitude 7.7.

Reference #12864 lists earthquake on Jan 23, 1909. Silakhor, magnitude 7.7 (Ms) and 7.7 (Mw). 8,000 dead, 130 villages destroyed.

Reference #10476 lists earthquake on Jan 23, 1909 02:48:29.10 UTC,magnitude 7.3 (Mw), depth 15

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1909 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1909 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 2850.