June 20, 1990 Earthquake: Rasht, Qazvin, Zanjan, Rudbar, Manjil, Iran

June 20, 1990, 21:00:09.9 UTC, 36.947 N, 49.409 E, depth 10 km, magnitude 6.4, 7.7 Ms. Estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people killed, more than 60,000 injured, 400,000 or more homeless and extensive damage and landslides in the Rasht-Qazvin-Zanjan area, Iran. Nearly all buildings were destroyed in the Rudbar-Manjil area. Substantial damage occurred as far away as Khalkhal and Now Shahr and slight damage occurred at Tehran. Felt in most of Tabriz. Slight damage also occurred in southern Azerbaijan. Felt (VII) at Astra and Lenkoran; (VI) at Dzhibrail, Lerik, Mossony and Yardyshny; (III) at Baku. (reference #1053)

40,000 deaths, 105,000 injuries, and $8,000 million damage. (reference #1250)

In the early hours of June 21, 1990, an earthQuake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale devastated the two Iranian provinces of Gilan and Zanjan, north and northwest of Tehran. About 40,000 people were killed and 60,000 injured. Half a million people were left homeless. The epicenter of the quake was about 200 km northwest of Tehran in the region of the Sefid Rud Dam, which is located between the two completely destroyed towns of Manjil and Rudbar in Gilan province. Several hours after the main shock, two strong aftershocks occurred, having magnitudes of 6.2 and 6.5. In the subsequent weeks more than 400 aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 5.9 were reported by the Geophysics Center of Tehran University. Sefid Rud Dam was subjected to intensive ground shaking and suffered several types of damage including severe cracking in the upper parts of the central buttresses. Close observation showed that most of the damage in the dam was concentrated in the central part and in the upper quarter of the buttresses. (reference #4650)

Mw 7.3, The Rudbar earthquake of 1990 June 20, the first large-magnitude earthquake with 80 km left-lateral strike-slip motion in the western "High-Albor"' fold-thrust mountain belt, was one of the largest, and most destructive, earthquakes to have occurred in Iran during the instrumental period[...]It affected both urban and rural regions, killed 13000-40000 people, and made a further 500000 homeless[...]Direct economic loss was estimated to be US$7.2 billion (original values), approximately 2.5 per cent of GPD.(reference #12414)

~40 000 people killed, 105 000 injured, 700 villages destroyed, 100 000 houses destroyed, 7.2bn USD economic loss, magnitude 7.4 (Ms) and 7.3 (Mw), MMI 9. (reference #12864)