2003 Iran Earthquake
Bam, Kerman Province, Iran — December 26, 2003
The 2003 Bam earthquake killed 26,271 people and destroyed 85% of the city's buildings, including the UNESCO-listed Arg-e Bam citadel, one of the world's largest adobe structures. The earthquake struck at dawn, collapsing thousands of traditional mud-brick homes on sleeping residents.
Earthquake Facts
Magnitude
M6.6
Date
Dec 26, 2003
Depth
6.6 km
Deaths
26,271
Latitude
29.004°
Longitude
58.337°
Tsunami
No
Region
Iran
Tectonic Cause
Strike-slip earthquake on the Bam Fault, a previously unrecognized fault in the seismically active Zagros fold-and-thrust belt where the Arabian Plate converges with the Eurasian Plate.
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Sources & Further Reading
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