May 6, 1930 Earthquake: Salmas, Iran
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Salmas, Iran on May 6, 1930 at 22:34:26 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 2,539 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
- May 6, 1930
- Time
- 22:34:26 UTC
- Place
- Salmas, Iran
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.094° N, 44.797° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,539
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
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 earthquake May 06, 1930, 22:34 UTC, 38.1 N 44.7 E, magnitude 7.5 (Ms), 1360 deaths.
Reference #12864 lists magnitude 7.2 (Ms) and 7.1 (Mw), MMI IX, 2514 deaths (and an additional 25 deaths from a magnitude 5.4 the same day), >60 villages destroyed. Note: a range of deaths between 2500-4000 is also provided.
Reference #10476 lists earthquake May 06, 1930, 22:34:26.77 UTC, 38.094 N 44.797 E, magnitude 7.1 (Mw), depth 15 km. Note: the earlier earthquake that according to reference #12864 resulted in 25 deaths, is listed as May 06, 1930, 07:03:26.82 UTC, 38.252 N 44.797 E, magnitude 5.47 (Mw), depth 15 km.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 18, 1727, Tabriz, Iran
- January 8, 1780, Tabriz, Iran
- November 4, 1042, Tabriz, Iran
- August 21, 1042, Tabriz, Iran
- April 26, 1721, Tabriz, Iran
- February 5, 1641, Tabriz, Kurdistan, Iran
- December 27, 1779, Tabriz, Iran
- November 24, 1976, Muradiye, Turkey
- April 27, 1931, Zangezur, Nakhitchevan, Armenia
- March 31, 1648, Van, Turkey
- 1664, Tabriz, Iran
- July 2, 1840, Maku, Mt Ararat, Aguri, Aralikh, Iran, Turkey
- April 18, 1843, Khvoy (Khoy), Iran
- January 5, 1896, Khvoy (Khoy), Iran
- October 23, 2011, Ercis, Van, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1930The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1930Recent 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 3412.