November 12, 2017 Earthquake: Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Iraq, Iran

Ref #13456:

At least 620 people killed, more than 6,603 injured, 70,000 displaced, 12,000 buildings destroyed and 15,000 buildings damaged in 14 provinces of Iran, mostly in Sarpol-e Zahab and at Ozgoleh, Kermanshah. At least ten people killed and 500 injured in Halabjah, Iraq.

Tectonic Summary

The November 12, 2017 M 7.3 earthquake near the Iran-Iraq border in northwest Iran occurred as the result of oblique-thrust faulting at mid-crustal depth (~25 km). Preliminary focal mechanism solutions for the event indicate rupture occurred on a fault dipping shallowly to the east-northeast, or on a fault dipping steeply to the southwest. At the location of this earthquake, the Arabia plate is moving towards the north with respect to Eurasia at a rate of about 26 mm/yr. The two plates converge along a northwest-striking plate boundary in the general vicinity of this earthquake, driving the uplift of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The location of the event and the shallow, northeast-dipping plane of the focal mechanism solution are consistent with rupture of a plate boundary related structure in this region.

Over the preceding century, the region within 250 km of the hypocenter of the Nov. 12, 2017 earthquake has experienced 4 other M6+ earthquakes. The most recent of these was a M 6.1 earthquake about 100 km to the south of the November 2017 event in January 1967. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a cluster of M 6.0-6.7 earthquakes occurred along the plate boundary about 200 km to the southeast of today's earthquake. In November 2013, a pair of M 5.6 and M 5.8 earthquakes occurred about 60 km south of the November 2017 event. They are not known to have caused significant damage or fatalities. A M 7.4 earthquake in June 1990, 400 km to the northeast of the Nov. 12, 2017 event, caused between 40,000-50,000 fatalities, more than 60,000 injuries, and left more than 600,000 homeless in the in the Rasht-Qazvin-Zanjan area of Iran.

Ref #11940:

more than 30,000 houses were affected by the quake - 15,500 of them completely destroyed.

The official IRNA news agency said 530 were killed while state TV put the number at 432. At least 100 people are believed to have been buried by families in rural villages without going to authorities for death certificates, which may explain the discrepancy.

Ref #11957:

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Kermanshah province, western part of Iran along the border with Iraq on Sunday November 12, 2017 at 21:48 pm local time, killing at least 569 people and injuring more than 9.000 in numerous districts of the province. In total, 427,266 people are affected in 8 districts of Kermanshah province. 30.000 residential units in rural areas and in the cities have been seriously damaged between 50 and 100 percent.

Ref #12079:

death toll of the November 12 deadly earthquake in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah has risen to 620, Iranian Legal Medicine Organization announced on Monday.The number of the dead in western cities is as follow: Sarpol-e Zahab: 559 people, 1 yet unidentified; Salas-e Babajani: 23 people; Dalahu: 19 people; Qasr-e Shirin: 16 people; Kermanshah: 1 person; Eslamabad: 1 person

Ref #11951:

The number of the dead people has increased because of the earthquake that hit Iraq to more than 10 people after the death of one injured person from Khanaqin area, as well as more than 430 injured,

Ref #12078:

750 million USD in losses. Hospitals, commercial buildings, schools, public buildings damaged/destroyed. Dam damaged. Injured: >12,900, displaced: 72,000

Ref #12592:

721 million USD total losses

Ref #1250:

444 deaths, 9000 injured, 740 million USD total losses