Shallow strong earthquake strikes the Iran-Iraq border region – at least 18 people injured + houses damaged

Last update: May 5, 2012 at 9:53 pm by By

Earthquake overview : A Mw5.5 earthquake has struck the Iran-Iraq border.

Islamic Republic News Agency said on Wednesday night that there has been possible damage caused by this earthquake  received.

“I have Felt it” Reports –> see below + Let us know “how you have felt this earthquake”
To read the full story as it happened, we advise our readers to start at the lower part of the page (earthquake data).

Keep this page open or return regularly as we will be back with more details when they become available

IIEES earthquake epicenter showing the tectonic regime.

UPDATE 21:30 UTC Saturday -

18 people have been injured , and 45 houses have been destroyed in Abdanan. In other locations, houses have also been destroyed in rural centers. 700 houses in total have been rendered uninhabitable So far no fatalities have been reported but around 3500 people are believed to be homeless due to destroyed houses, with at least 1500 others needing shelter. 50 villages have been 30 to 50% destroyed.

UPDATE 22:30 UTC
- 1500 blankets and 1500 tents are required by victims according to relief staff. 10 ambulances, 120 relief staff have been sent to near Abdanan. According to other reports 45 houses have collapsed or are beyond repair.
- The number of injured has increased to 10.

UPDATE 21:20 UTC
8 people are reported to be injured and many houses have been damaged
Theoretical calculations from USGS are telling us that about 13,000 people have experienced a strong MMI VI shaking. Nothing special for countries like Chile, but in Iran due to the type of earthquake and the vulnerable house building style, we start

- IEEES is reporting a Ml5.4 and 14km depth. This will most likely be damaging to local villages.

- Amazingly, only 15 damaging earthquakes from CATDAT have been registered since 1900 in this location within 100km radius, and of those this is the highest magnitude.

- Yellow earthquake via PAGER. Max Wyss’ WAPMERR QLARM has given 0-20 fatalities, 10-150 injured.

- This was given an earthquake-report danger rating of RED

 

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“I Have Felt It” reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
See below for all the received Earthquake Experience reports as received by earthquake-report.com

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.5Mw (USGS), 5.4Ml (IIEES)
UTC Time : 2012-05-03 14:39:35 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 2012-05-03 19:09:35
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10k (USGS), 14km (IIEES)
Geo-location(s) :  33km (20mi) SE from Abdanan, Iran, 43km (26mi) ENE from Dehloran, Iran

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Focal mechanism report
Human impact map

I Have Felt this earthquake

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFORMATION
GEOFON Southern Iran May 21 23:38 PM 4.4 10 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Southeastern Iran May 21 23:38 PM 4.8 30 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Central Iran May 21 18:07 PM 3.8 12 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Southern Iran May 21 17:41 PM 3.8 6 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Western Iran May 21 17:24 PM 3.5 32 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Southern Iran May 21 14:42 PM 4.4 10 MAP I Felt It INFO
GEOFON Southern Iran May 21 14:42 PM 4.5 10 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Southern Iran May 20 20:33 PM 4.1 1 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Southern Iran May 20 20:27 PM 3.5 17 MAP I Felt It INFO
EMSC Southern Iran May 20 18:20 PM 3.9 18 MAP I Felt It INFO

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SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

Enter Email (not compulsory)
City/Village where you felt the earthquake
MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
People :
Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
People :
Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
People :
Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
Fittings :
Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
Structures :
Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
People :
Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
Fittings :
Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
Structures :
Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
Fittings :
Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
Structures :
Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
Environment :
Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
People
General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
Fittings :
Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
Structures :
Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
Environment :
Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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