December 19, 1977 Earthquake: Bab-Tangol, Iran
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Bab-Tangol, Iran on December 19, 1977 at 23:34:34 UTC, 31 km below the surface. It killed 584 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
- December 19, 1977
- Time
- 23:34:34 UTC
- Place
- Bab-Tangol, Iran
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 31 km (19 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 30.940° N, 56.530° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 584
- Injuries
- 1,000
- 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.
584 killed, 1000 injured. magnitude 5.4 (Mb), 5.8 (Ms), depth 31 km. (reference #45)
1977 Dec 19, 23:34:34.27 UTC, 30.94 N 56.53E, magnitude 5.86 (Mw). (reference #10476)
665 killed, 500 injured, MMI VII. (reference #12864)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 28, 1981, SE, Kerman, Iran
- May 25, 1923, Turbat-Haklari, Iran
- June 11, 1981, Golbaft, SE, Iran
- April 18, 1911, Ravar, Iran
- February 22, 2005, Zarand, Kerman Province, Iran
- September 22, 1923, Sirjan, Iran
- March 14, 1998, Golbaf, Baft, Kerman, Iran
- November 28, 1933, Bahabad,aliabad,rahimabad,khairabad, Iran
- November 20, 1989, Shahdad, Kerman Province, Iran
- May 7, 2006, Zarand, Iran
- January 17, 1864, Kirman, Chatrud, Iran
- February 27, 2012, Ravar, Iran
- December 1, 2017, Kerman, Iran
- 1896, Qobeh-E-Sabz (Kerman), Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1977The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1977Recent 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 4786.