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2002 Bou'in–Zahra earthquake

UTC time	??
Magnitude	6.5 Mw
Depth	10 kilometres (6.213712 mi)
Epicenter	35°37′34″N 49°02′49″E / 35.626°N 49.047°E / 35.626; 49.047
Areas affected	Iran
Casualties	261 dead and 1,300 injured

The 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake occurred on June 22, 2002 in a region of northwestern Iran which is crossed by several major fault lines. The earthquake's epicenter was near the small village of Bou'in-Zahra (sometimes spelled Bouynzahra) in Qazvin Province, an area known for destructive earthquakes. Over 20 aftershocks followed the earthquake. Measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the Moment magnitude scale, the earthquake killed at least 261 people and injured 1,300 more.

According to the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), the earthquake was felt as far away as the capital city of Tehran, approximately 180 miles (290 km) east of the epicenter, although no damage was reported there. Most houses in the region were single-story masonry buildings, and virtually all of these collapsed. There was great public anger due to slow official responding to victims who needed supplies. Residents of the village of Avaj resorted to throwing stones at the car of a government minister.

Background and tectonics

Because Iran is crossed by several major fault lines, 90% of it is seismically active and is subject to many earthquakes each year; the area around the rupture experiences minor quakes almost daily. The Bou'in-Zahra earthquake was located in an area of active thrust faulting and folding, parallel and south of the southern edge of the Alborz mountain range, and was the 11th rupture in the past two months in central Iran.

Earthquakes happen less frequently in the Qazvin Province compared to the Iranian national average. When they do occur, the Arabian plate is pushed northward by the African plate, colliding with the Eurasian plate, giving these earthquakes additional force. This earthquake, having a shallow focus on the Earth's crust, had to adjust to the strain caused by this collision. An inversion of long-period P and SH body-wave seismograms indicated a rupture on a thrust fault that dipped 49 degrees to the southwest and had a centroid depth of roughly 10 kilometres (6 mi). The rupture's mechanism of faulting was reverse.

Multiple-event relocation of the main shock and aftershock epicenters and discontinuous surface ruptures recorded after the earthquake are compatible with a northwest leaning rupture on a southwest-dipping thrust, although maximum recorded displacements were less than what would have been expected from such quakes. This suggests most of the slip did not actually reach the Earth's surface but folded at the surface. Scientists speculate that there is another unknown plate, now dubbed the Abdareh plate. This landmass is believed to be "growing through a relict Neogene topography". The Qazvin region was hit by an even greater earthquake in 1963 which killed 12,200.

Damage and casualties

The earthquake occurred at 02:58 UTC (7:28 a.m. Iran Standard Time), while most of those affected were in their homes. Its duration was seven seconds, and the epicenter was near the village of Bou'in-Zahra in the Khar river valley. At least 261 people were killed, 1,300 injured, and 25,000 left homeless. An earlier death toll was reported as 500, but the number was lowered when it was found that some of the severely injured were mistaken for dead.Most of the dead were women, children and the elderly, as many of the men were working in local vineyards. Over 20 aftershocks were recorded, with magnitudes up to 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale. At least three caused further casualties and damage.

Thousands of buildings were damaged beyond repair. In the Qazvin province, 120 buildings were demolished and 50 villages suffered massive damage. In the neighboring Hamadan province, 45 additional villages were destroyed. A large majority of houses in the region were single-story masonry buildings, and virtually all of these collapsed. Newer structures, many built in accordance with the Iranian code of practice for seismic-resistant design, survived much better. Damage to the historic Kharaqan tomb towers, which were in a good state of preservation before the event, suggests that the earthquake was one of the most powerful in the region for approximately 900 years.

At a station 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the epicenter, the maximum horizontal and vertical accelerations were recorded to be roughly 0.5 g and 0.26 g. A bridge also failed as a result of the disaster. Water and irrigation systems were severely damaged near the epicenter, and water facilities were demolished in nine villages. Many of the main water pipelines in the affected areas were damaged or destroyed, causing difficulties for water availability and quality. Surface cracks were observed between Abdarreh and Changureh, the villages that suffered the heaviest damage.

In Changureh, only two buildings were left standing and over 120 casualties occurred. Abdareh also fared poorly; the disaster destroyed the town's only mosque, toppled 40 homes and killed at least 20 people. North of Avaj, in the village of Esmailabad, survivors recovered 38 corpses, a ninth of the total population, while searching for the missing, feared trapped in the ruins. Survivors crying and beating themselves over loved ones were a common sight on Iranian state television.

The cost of the damage was estimated at US$91 million. The quake was felt across a wide area, including the provinces of Gilan, Kurdistan, Zanjan, and Hamedan. It was also felt in the capital of Tehran, roughly 180 miles (290 km) east of the epicenter, although no damage was reported.

Relief efforts and aftermath

The Red Crescent Society sent relief workers, detection dogs, 100 tons of food, 1,000 tents, 2,500 blankets, and mobile kitchens to the earthquake-stricken area. In addition, the Iranian army supplied soldiers, machinery and water trucks. To prevent the spread of disease, villages were sprayed with disinfectants and their inhabitants were given tetanus shots, among other measures. The United Nations Development Programme supplied $50,000 in assistance. Pope John Paul II prayed for the earthquake victims and asked for a "generous" response.

United States President George W. Bush offered aid to Iran, which he had previously called part of an "axis of evil". According to him, "human suffering knows no political boundaries" and he stood "ready to assist the people of Iran as needed and as desired". However, the Iranian government refused his help, though it called for the help of non-governmental agencies.

According to Hossein Rahnema, head of the Red Crescent in Changureh, the society "levelled an area to put up tents but most people wanted to stay next to their houses to look after their property". Then-Iranian President Mohammad Khatami declared three days of mourning and visited earthquake-stricken areas on June 25. The Associated Press stated that 20 funerals were held on June 23, 2002 at a cemetery overlooking the village of Abdareh. A bank account was started to handle public donations for the dead's families. Official rescue work ended on June 24, 2002, when rescue workers said there were no more survivors.

Public anger

Of the roughly 80 villages that suffered heavy damage, the Iranian government claimed that relief work was mostly complete. Residents of Changureh, however, complained that tents, food, and medicine had not reached them, after waiting in near-freezing temperatures. A man from Avaj stated that only locals helped uncover the body of his child. On June 23, "dozens" of Avaj residents threw stones at Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari's car in anger at the government's delay in providing relief. They also claimed that the death toll was higher than official reports said it was.

Reconstruction

Electricity was restored to affected areas by June 25. On November 9, 2002, the World Bank granted $22 million towards the reconstruction and economic rehabilitation of the area devastated by the quake. Reconstruction of housing and infrastructure by provincial authorities was interrupted for almost four months (November 2002 – February 2003) due to harsh weather conditions. In August 2003, the reconstruction was completed in all villages affected by the earthquake.

References

1. ^ "Magnitude 6.5 Western Iran". United States Geological Survey. 2003-11-13. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
2. ^ "IRIB broadcasts first images of quake-affected regions". IranMania. 2002-06-22. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
3. ^ "Help too late, say quake survivors". CNN. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
4. ^ "245 Confirmed Dead In Iran Quake". CBS News. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
5. ^ "Preliminary Earthquake Reconnaissance Report on the June 22, 2002 Changureh (Avaj), Iran Earthquake". International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology. 2002-07-19. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
6. ^ Walker, R. T. (2005). "The 2002 June 22 Changureh (Avaj) earthquake in Qazvin province, northwest Iran: epicentral relocation, source parameters, surface deformation and geomorphology". Geophysical Journal International. 160: 707–720. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2005.02516.x. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
7. KhalilAllah, Fenghi (2003). "Geometry of Fault Ruptures of the Avaj Region Earthquake". Research Bulletin of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering. 5 (4). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
8. KhalilAllah, Fenghi (2003). "Seismotectonics and Neotectonics of Changureh Earthquake on June 22, 2002". International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. ^ "Iranians angry at 'slow' quake help". BBC News. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
10. Zare, Mehdi (2002). "A Seismological Overview on the Changureh (Avaj, Iran) Earthquake of 22 June 2002, Mw=6.3". Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology. 4 (2). Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
11. ^ "Iran buries dead after earthquake". USA Today. Associated Press. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
12. ^ "'No more survivors' in Iran quake". BBC News. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
13. ^ "Rescue Teams Continue to Dig in Iran Earthquake Rubble". Voice of America News. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
14. ^ "222 Dead In Iran Earthquake". CBS News. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
15. Fathi, Nazila (2002-06-23). "Quake in Northern Iran Kills at Least 500". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
16. ^ Ramazi, Hamidreza (2006). "The 22 June 2002 Avaj, Iran, Earthquake: A Field Report". Seismological Research Letters. 77 (6): 723–730. doi:10.1785/gssrl.77.6.723. Retrieved 2008-06-20. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
17. ^ "Iran: Earthquake in the Qazvin/Hamadan and Zanjan regions Appeal No. 17/02 Final Report". International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies. 2004-02-19. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
18. "UN team in quake regions says 2,000-4,000 injured". IranMania. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
19. "Iranians angry at 'slow' quake help". BBC News. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
20. Hafesi, Parisa (2002-06-24). "Hundreds killed in Iran earthquake". The Guardian. Reuters. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
21. "World Bank grants 225 million dollars for Iran's quake-hit areas". Xinhua News Agency. 2002-11-09. Retrieved 2008-06-20.

External links

• Shahryar, Solaymani. "Report of Surface Faulting and Morphotectonics of "Avaj Region" Earthquake on June 22, 2002". IIES. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

• 2002 earthquakes
• Earthquakes in Iran