January 15, 1953 Earthquake: Lar, Iran
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Lar, Iran on January 15, 1953 at 13:15:15 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 13 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 15, 1953
- Time
- 13:15:15 UTC
- Place
- Lar, Iran
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.761° N, 54.751° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 13
- 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.
1953 Jan 15 13:15:15.57 UTC, 27.761 N 54.751 E, Mw 5.53, 15 km depth (reference #10476)
1953 Jan 15, Rayhan. 5.5 Ms, MMI VII. At least 13 killed, villages destroyed. (reference #12864)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 11, 1897, Qeshm Island, Larak Island, Iran
- April 24, 1960, Lar, Iran
- October 31, 1956, Bastak, Iran
- May 19, 1884, Qeshm I,bandar-E-Laft,saheli,tonban,direstan, Iran
- March 21, 1977, Bandar Abbas, Iran
- August 1880, Bastak, Jonah, Iran
- June 11, 1961, Dehkuyeh,khaneh,lar,shagheb,nokhriz,bighu, Iran
- January 19, 1950, Bushire, Iran
- November 6, 1990, S, Darab, Iran
- November 27, 2005, Qeshm, Zirang
- March 24, 1913, Teyhan, Iran
- July 9, 1902, Qeshm,bandar Abbas,genu, Qeshm Island, Iran
- March 7, 1975, Sarkhun,qaleh Qazi,qadhad,nong-E-Bala, Iran
- September 10, 2008, Hormozgan Province, Iran
- July 29, 1963, Gahkom,laigazan,patkuiyeh,golruiyeh,ganj, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1953The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1953Recent 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 4010.