December 19, 1980 Earthquake: N Central, Tehran, Iran
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck N Central, Tehran, Iran on December 19, 1980 at 01:16:56 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 26 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, 1980
- Time
- 01:16:56 UTC
- Place
- N Central, Tehran, Iran
- Magnitude
- 6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.587° N, 50.652° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 26
- Damage
- $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.
26 people killed in the Qom-Saveh area. Felt at Tehran. (reference #1053)
16 people killed, MMI 6+, magnitude 5.8 Ms and 6.0 Mw. 11 villages destroyed. (reference #12864)
Reference #1250 lists 20 deaths, 5m USD total damages.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 15, 850, Rey (Ray), Iran
- June 7, 1755, Tabriz,kashan, N, Iran
- January 30, 1778, Kashan, Iran
- September 1, 1962, Buyin-Zara, Iran
- May 4, 1639, Qazvin, Iran
- January 23, 1909, Silakor, Iran
- May 12, 1844, Kashan, Qamsar, Kamu, Kushian, Chuka, Iran
- 1574, Fin,kashan, Iran
- May 9, 1830, Damavand,tehran,semnan,damghan, Iran
- June 22, 2002, Ab Garm-Abhar-Avaj-Shirin Su, Iran
- May 11, 1945, Garmsar,kerand,bankuh, Iran
- June 27, 1961, Iran
- December 22, 1980, N Central, Tehran, Iran
- December 20, 2017, Alborz, Iran
- May 7, 2020, Tehran, Damavand, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 1980The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1980Recent 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 4907.