December 20, 2010 Earthquake: Kerman, Iran
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Kerman, Iran on December 20, 2010 at 18:41:59 UTC, 12 km below the surface. It killed 7 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 20, 2010
- Time
- 18:41:59 UTC
- Place
- Kerman, Iran
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 12 km (7 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 28.412° N, 59.180° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 7
- Injuries
- 25
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- 1,800
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.
At least 7 people killed, 25 injured and 3 villages
destroyed in eastern Kerman. Felt at Bam, Iranshahr,
Khash and Zahedan. Felt (II) at Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. Also felt at Abu Dhabi and `Ajman. Felt at
Doha, Qatar. (reference #1053)
A powerful earthquake struck a sparsely populated district of southeastern Iran, killing at least 11 people, injuring at least 40 and damaging 1,800 homes, news reports said Tuesday. The magnitude 6.5 quake late Monday struck 30 villages populated by no more than 4,000 people, state radio reported. Rescue efforts and damage assessments were being hampered by downed phone lines and landslides that have blocked access to some villages, official media cited officials as saying. (reference #9198)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2010The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2010Recent 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 9760.