Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the generation and propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or other planetary bodies. It also includes studies of earthquake environmental effects such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, glacial, fluvial, oceanic microseism, atmospheric, and artificial processes such as explosions and human activities. A related field that uses geology to infer information regarding past earthquakes is paleoseismology. A recording of Earth motion as a function of time, created by a seismograph is called a seismogram. A seismologist is a scientist works in basic or applied seismology.
The 1978 Tabas earthquake occurred on September 16 at 19:05:55 local time in central Iran. The shock measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX+ (Violent). The death toll was in the range of 15,000–25,000, with severe damage occurring in the town of Tabas. The day before, a 5.5 magnitude quake had struck southwestern Iran in the morning and killed at least 42 people in and around the towns of Masjid-e Solaiman and Izeh.
Don Lynn Anderson was an American geophysicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the origin, evolution, structure, and composition of Earth and other planets. An expert in numerous scientific disciplines, Anderson's work combined seismology, solid state physics, geochemistry and petrology to explain how the Earth works. Anderson was best known for his contributions to the understanding of the Earth's deep interior, and more recently, for the plate theory hypothesis that hotspots are the product of plate tectonics rather than narrow plumes emanating from the deep Earth. Anderson was Professor (Emeritus) of Geophysics in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He received numerous awards from geophysical, geological and astronomical societies. In 1998 he was awarded the Crafoord Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences along with Adam Dziewonski. Later that year, Anderson received the National Medal of Science. He held honorary doctorates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Paris (Sorbonne), and served on numerous university advisory committees, including those at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Stanford, University of Paris, Purdue University, and Rice University. Anderson's wide-ranging research resulted in hundreds of published papers in the fields of planetary science, seismology, mineral physics, petrology, geochemistry, tectonics and the philosophy of science.
The 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake occurred on Thursday, 21 June 1990 at in the Caspian Sea region of northern Iran. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a Mercalli Intensity of X (Extreme). Devastation occurred in a 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) area, causing extensive damage in several cities. A large aftershock also added to the destruction. Between 35,000 and 50,000 people died in the earthquake; another 60,000–105,000 were injured.
James Anthony Jackson CBE FRS is Emeritus Professor of Active Tectonics and formerly head of Bullard Laboratories, and Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge University. He made his name in geophysics, using earthquake source seismology to examine how continents are deformed. His central research focus is to observe the active processes shaping our continents.
Seismotectonics is the study of the relationship between the earthquakes, active tectonics and individual faults of a region. It seeks to understand which faults are responsible for seismic activity in an area by analysing a combination of regional tectonics, recent instrumentally recorded events, accounts of historical earthquakes and geomorphological evidence. This information can then be used to quantify the seismic hazard of an area.
The 1962 Buin Zahra earthquake occurred on September 1 in the area of Buin Zahra, Qazvin Province, Iran. The shock had a Richter magnitude of 7.1 and resulted in 12,225 fatalities. Qazvin Province lies in an area of Iran that experiences large earthquakes. The 1962 event originated on one of many faults in the area, called the Ipak Fault. The fault is believed to have been reactivated multiple times.
The 1909 Borujerd earthquake also known as Silakhor earthquake occurred in Silakhor plain, Persia 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.
The 856 Damghan earthquake or the 856 Qumis earthquake occurred on 22 December 856. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.9, and a maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The meizoseismal area extended for about 350 kilometres (220 mi) along the southern edge of the eastern Alborz mountains of present-day Iran including parts of Tabaristan and Gorgan. The earthquake's epicenter is estimated to be close to the city of Damghan, which was then the capital of the Persian province of Qumis. It caused approximately 200,000 deaths and is listed by the USGS as the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history. This death toll has been debated.
Chittenipattu Puthenveettil Rajendran, also known among his peers as CP, is an Indian geoscientist who has worked mainly on the Indian earthquakes and tectonics.
Walter D. Mooney is a research seismologist and geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Menlo Park, California (1978–present). He was Chief of the USGS Branch of Seismology from 1994 to 1997.
Gurban Jalal Yetirmishli — doctor of geological-mineralogical sciences, corr. member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).
General director of Republican Seismic Survey Center of ANAS head of seismology division
The 1139 Ganja earthquake was one of the worst seismic events in history. It affected the Seljuk Empire and the Kingdom of Georgia, in modern-day Azerbaijan and Georgia. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.7 , 7.5 and 7.0–7.3 . A disputed death toll of 230,000–300,000 resulted from this event, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes ever recorded.
The 1979 Ghaenat earthquakes were a series of large earthquakes in Qaen County, Khorasan Province, northeast Iran, near the Afghanistan border. The first mainshock, known as the Korizan earthquake with a surface-wave magnitude (Ms ) of 6.6 and moment magnitude (Mw ) of 6.8, struck on November 14, while the Ms 7.1 or Mw 7.2 Koli-Boniabad earthquake struck on November 27. The two mainshocks were assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and X (Extreme), respectively. The earthquakes caused extensive damage throughout northeastern Iran, killing an estimated 297 to 440 people and left at least 279 injured.
The 1997 Bojnurd earthquake occurred on 4 February at 14:07 IRST in Iran. The epicenter of the 6.5 earthquake was in the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border, about 579 km (360 mi) northeast of Tehran. The earthquake is characterized by shallow strike-slip faulting in a zone of active faults. Seismic activity is present as the Kopet Dag is actively accommodating tectonics through faulting. The earthquake left 88 dead, 1,948 injured, and affected 173 villages, including four which were destroyed. Damage also occurred in Shirvan and Bojnord counties. The total cost of damage was estimated to be over US$ 30 million.
The 1641 Tabriz earthquake occurred on the night of February 5 in present-day East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 6.8 and an epicenter between Lake Urmia and the city of Tabriz. It was one of the most destructive earthquakes in the region, resulting in the loss of up to 30,000 lives.
The 1977 Khurgu earthquake struck southern Iran near Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province on the morning of March 22. The earthquake measuring moment magnitude (Mw ) 6.7 struck at a depth of 12.5 km (7.8 mi). Thirty five villages were heavily damaged including over 20 which were destroyed. There were 152–167 people killed and 556 injured.
The 1957 Alborz earthquake struck northern Iran's Mazandaran province at 04:12 local time on 2 July. It had a moment magnitude (Mw ) of 7.1 and occurred at a focal depth of 15 km (9.3 mi). The thrust-faulting shock was assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). It devastated 120 villages in the Alborz Mountains and caused an estimated 1,500 fatalities. The earthquake also triggered landslides including one that dammed the Haraz River. Some damage was also reported in Tehran, Qaem Shahr and Sari. The total damage was estimated at US$25 million.
The 1871–72 Quchan earthquakes which affected present-day Razavi Khorasan province occurred less than a month apart. The first earthquake, measuring 7.1, occurred on 23 December 1871, was followed by a Mw 7.0 earthquake in the same area on 6 January 1872. Altogether, these earthquakes killed at least 6,000 people in the Quchan area.
