March 31, 1963 Earthquake: Hendojan, Iran
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Hendojan, Iran on March 31, 1963 at 02:27:06 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 4 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
- March 31, 1963
- Time
- 02:27:06 UTC
- Place
- Hendojan, Iran
- Magnitude
- 5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.000° N, 57.900° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 70
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 100
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.
1963 Mar 31, 02:27:06.5 UTC, 37 N 57.9 E. 4 killed, several injured and 100 homes destroyed in Hendojan. Depth about 33km. (reference #45)
1963 Mar 31, Dahaneh Ojaq magnitude 5 (Ms), MMI VI, 4 killed. (reference #12864)
1963 Jan 31, 02:27:07 UTC, 36.9N 57.8E, magnitude 4.5. Khendodzhan, Dakhne-Udshak (Iran) destroyed; landslides in hills; 100 homes destroyed, 4 dead, 70 injured. (reference #223) Note: probable error on month.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 5, 1948, Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan
- 1101, Khorasan, Iran
- November 17, 1893, Quchan, Mashhad, Bojnurd, Iran
- November 18, 1667, Shirvan, Shamkha, Iran
- July 30, 1673, Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran
- August 20, 943, Nisa, Turkmenistan
- January 6, 1872, Quchan, Iran
- May 1, 1929, Kopet-Dagh, Iran
- February 22, 1852, Khabushan (NW Kuchan), Iran
- December 23, 1871, Quchan, Iran
- January 17, 1895, Quchan, Iran
- April 2, 1879, Bojnurd, Iran
- July 30, 1970, Karnaveh, Marev, Iran
- September 17, 1923, Bodzhnurd, Qaleh Jaq Kmen, Iran
- February 4, 1997, Bojnurd, Shirvan, Esfarayen, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1963The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1963Recent 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 4290.