Origin time 02:48 GMT Areas affected Iran Casualties 6,000–8,000 dead | Magnitude 7.3 ML Max. intensity IX (Violent) | |
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Date 23 January 1909 (1909-01-23) | ||
The 1909 Borujerd earthquake also known as Silakhor earthquake occurred in Silakhor plain (in the south of today's Borujerd County), Persia (modern day Iran) on January 23. Around 8,000 fatalities were caused directly from the magnitude 7.3 earthquake. An indefinite number of aftershocks continued for six months after the main shock. The section on this fault ruptured was the same as the main rupture zone of the 2006 Borujerd earthquake.
Contents
Earthquake
Occurring on the local Dorood Fault, the tremor caused 40 kilometers (25 mi) of visible surface faulting.
Damage
Sixty villages within the region were either completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Casualties were extensive, occurring in 130 individual villages. However, damage was contained within a 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi) area. Eight thousand were killed in this sector along with several thousand animals. Damage was worst within the epicentral area (Silakhor Valley) and surrounding valleys populated by domestic tribes. Signs of ground failure and landslides was evident for another 20–30 kilometres (12–19 mi) southeast of the epicenter.