Nournews: Ali Beitollahi said on Wednesday that at 8:41 p.m. last night (Tuesday, May 12), a 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Tehran, about 40 kilometers from central Tehran and 8 kilometers north of Pardis.
He explained that over the next seven hours, eight earthquakes of varying magnitudes occurred. The main quake took place at 11:46 p.m. with a magnitude of 4.6, followed by six aftershocks occurring at intervals of 10 to 20 minutes. The last aftershock occurred around 3:30 a.m. with a magnitude of 3.1.
The faculty member of the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center stated that the earthquake occurred at the intersection of the North Tehran Fault and the Mosha Fault near the village of Ira in eastern Tehran. Due to the convergence of these two faults, the area is considered an active seismic zone.
He added that within a 30-kilometer radius of the area, besides the village of Ira, there are 104 other villages, as well as the cities of Pardis, Bume, Roud, Abali, and Lavasanat, with a combined urban and rural population of about 250,000 people.
Beitollahi noted that 30 percent of rural homes and 15 percent of urban residential buildings in the area lack structural frames and therefore do not have significant resistance against major earthquakes.
No Connection Between the Earthquake and the Capital’s Storm
He recalled that the earthquake coincided with a storm with winds of about 55 kilometers per hour in the hours before the quake occurred. However, he stressed that the two phenomena are completely separate and unrelated.
The head of the Seismology Department also rejected rumors linking the earthquake to explosions or fault activation, emphasizing that the quakes in the region occur at depths of 10 to 20 kilometers underground, whereas even the strongest explosions affect only a few hundred meters.
He emphasized that this was a natural event resulting from the inherent seismic activity of the region, where Tehran’s two major faults meet.
Beitollahi further stated that, considering the pattern of activity and the aftershocks following the 4.6-magnitude quake, the likelihood of a larger earthquake occurring afterward is very low. In other words, the 4.6-magnitude event was most likely the main earthquake.
At the same time, the official noted that smaller aftershocks may still occur as the area gradually returns to relative seismic calm, but personally he considers the probability of a stronger earthquake to be very small.
800 Earthquakes in Eastern Tehran Over the Past 15 Years
He added that more than 800 earthquakes of varying — and mostly small — magnitudes have occurred in this area over the past 15 years. Therefore, earthquakes in this region are considered natural occurrences.
Nevertheless, he stressed that proper behavior during earthquakes is extremely important, including staying calm, avoiding panic, and moving to safer areas.
Beitollahi also emphasized the need to improve construction quality standards in this highly earthquake-prone zone.
Nournews