Strong and shallow M6.0 and M6.4 earthquakes hit southern Iran
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Two shallow earthquakes registered by the USGS as M6.0 and M6.4 hit southern Iran's Hormozgan Province at 12:07 and 12:08 UTC (15:37 and 15:38 LT) on November 14, 2021. The agency is reporting depths of 5.6 km (3.5 miles) and 10 km (6.2 miles), respectively. EMSC is reporting them as M6.0 and M6.3 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The Iran Seismological Center is reporting the first quake as M6.4 and the second as M6.3, both at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles).
The epicenters of both earthquakes were located about 63 km (39 miles) NNW of Bandar Abbas (population 352 173) and 88 km (55 miles) NNW of Qeshm (population 25 000), Hormozgan, Iran.
10 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 32 000 strong, and 749 000 moderate.
The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities. Some casualties are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.
A Green alert was issued for economic losses. There is a low likelihood of damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building type is a low-rise non-ductile concrete frame with infill construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
ISNA news agency said a number of homes were destroyed in the Bandar Abbas area and landslides were reported at Geno Mountain.
At least one person was killed when a light pole fell in Kerman.
"The situation in Hormozgan Province was declared red and assessment teams were sent to the region to estimate the possible damage," the Iranian Red Crescent said in a statement, adding that nearly 6 200 people live in a 15 km (9.3 miles) radius from the epicenter.
More than 90 people have been injured and 137 villages affected, as well as the cities of Bandar Abbas and Fin.
At least 7 trillion rials ($24.8 million) in losses were reported, Mehdi Dousti, the governor of Hormozgan Province said. "About 3 000 homes were damaged," he added.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
