November 28, 2013 Earthquake: Borazjan, Iran

Eight people killed, at least 200 injured, buildings damaged and electricity disrupted in the Borazjan area. Felt (IV) at Bandar-e Bushehr. Also felt at Bandar-e Ganaveh. Felt at Al Budayyi', Bahrain and at Ad Dasmah, Ad Dawhah, Kuwait City and Salwa, Kuwait.

Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of the Middle East and Vicinity

No fewer than four major tectonic plates (Arabia, Eurasia, India, and Africa) and one smaller tectonic block (Anatolia) are responsible for seismicity and tectonics in the Middle East and surrounding region. Geologic development of the region is a consequence of a number of first-order plate tectonic processes that include subduction, large-scale transform faulting, compressional mountain building and crustal extension...

Off the south coast of Pakistan and southeast coast of Iran, the Makran trench is the present-day surface expression of active subduction of the Arabia plate beneath the continental Eurasia plate, which converge at a rate of approximately 20 mm/yr. Although the Makran subduction zone has a relatively slow convergence rate, it has produced large devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. For example, the November 27, 1945 M8.0 mega-thrust earthquake produced a tsunami within the Gulf of Oman and Arabia Sea, killing over 4,000 people. Northwest of this active subduction zone, collision of the Arabia and Eurasia plates forms the approximately 1,500-km-long fold and thrust belt of the Zagros Mountains, which crosses the whole of western Iran and extends into northeastern Iraq. Collision of the Arabia and Eurasia plates also causes crustal shortening in the Alborz Mountains and Kopet Dag in northern Iran. Eastern Iran experiences destructive earthquakes that originate on both strike-slip and reverse faults. For example, the 16 September 1978 M7.8 earthquake, along the southwest edge of the Dasht-e-Lut Basin killed at least 15,000 people.

(above from reference #13456)

Tehran (AFP) - A 5.7 magnitude earthquake on the Gulf coast near Iran's sole nuclear power plant killed eight people and injured 190 on Thursday, emergency response chief Hassan Qadami told state media. "So far, there are seven dead and 30 injured receiving hospital treatment," the official IRNA news agency quoted Qadami as saying. However, an official said the temblor had "not created any problem for the activities of the power plant" at Bushehr, where Iran has its Russian-built reactor. The quake's epicentre was near Borazjan, around 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Bushehr. The media said the quake had destroyed around 250 homes and businesses, while Dashtestan provincial Governor Alireza Khorani also spoke of damaged houses and electricity pylons. (reference #10815)