January 19, 1950 Earthquake: Bushire, Iran
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Bushire, Iran on January 19, 1950 at 17:27:20 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 30 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 19, 1950
- Time
- 17:27:20 UTC
- Place
- Bushire, Iran
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.255° N, 53.029° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 30
- 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.
January 19, 1950, 17:27:18 UTC, 27.5 N, 53 E, near south coast of Iran, 20 killed and several injured in Bushire. (reference #45)
January 19, 1950, 17:27 UTC, 27.31 N, 52.83 E, magnitude 5.5. (reference #1117)
January 19, 1950, 27.3 N, 53.2 E, Persian Gulf. (reference #1212)
January 19, 1950, 17;27:16.8 UTC, 27.29 N, 53.04 E, depth 6 km. (reference #1126)
January 19, 1950, 17:27:20.89 UTC, 27.255 N, 53.029 E, depth 15 km. (reference #10476)
January 19, 1950, Southwestern Iran. The Survey reports an earthquake near the southern coast of Iran at 17h27m20s, G.C.T., with preliminary epicenter 28 N, 53 E, which is in southwestern Iran, south of Shiraz. (reference #8204)
January 19, 1950, Dehno. Ms 5.5, MMI VII, 30 killed, over 20 villages destroyed. (reference #12864)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 11, 1008, Dainawar, Iran-Iraq
- April 10, 1972, Qir,karzin, Jahrom, Firuzabad, Iran
- June 17, 978, Taheri (Siraf), Iran
- April 24, 1960, Lar, Iran
- October 31, 1956, Bastak, Iran
- August 1880, Bastak, Jonah, Iran
- June 11, 1961, Dehkuyeh,khaneh,lar,shagheb,nokhriz,bighu, Iran
- April 9, 2013, Shanbe, Kaki, Sena, Bushehr Province, Iran
- January 15, 1953, Lar, Iran
- March 24, 1913, Teyhan, Iran
- November 13, 1998, Bigherd-Khonj, Southern, Iran
- January 6, 2017, Khonj, Iran
- June 20, 1994, Firuzabad, Shiraz, Iran
- July 20, 2010, Farsinaj, Iran
- August 20, 1954, Tonbak,kangan,sabakhi,akhtar, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1950The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1950Recent 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 3931.