Iran struck by magnitude 7.8 earthquake

[Bosonic]

Source: BBC

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has struck Iran, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.

The huge quake is said to have its epicentre near the border with Pakistan.

Tremors have been felt across the Gulf and the Middle East, with buildings evacuated across the region.

At least 37 people were killed and 850 wounded in a 6.3 magnitude quake in south-west Iran on 10 April.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22168202

---

Magnitude 8 earthquake strikes Iran: USGS

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/324113983625900032

Tremors felt across the Middle East Gulf: witnesses #breaking

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/324114622103814144

USGS DATA

Magnitude 7.8

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 10:44:13 UTC
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 03:44:13 PM at epicenter

Location 28.056°N, 62.080°E
Depth 15.2 km (9.4 miles)
Region IRAN-PAKISTAN BORDER REGION
Distances

201 km (125 miles) SE (145°) from Zahedan, Iran
250 km (155 miles) NNW (336°) from Turbat, Pakistan
256 km (159 miles) WSW (248°) from Dalbandin, Pakistan
602 km (374 miles) NE (34°) from MUSCAT, Oman

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usb000g7x7.php

[Archae]

1. They'll blame it on the US...

[davidpdx]

4. I think some on DU would blame it on Obama

if they could.

[cantbeserious]

6. That's A Stretch

eom

[davidpdx]

7. Well I guess I should have used the sarcasm tag

[cantbeserious]

8. Even The President Has Limits To His Powers

eom

[Posteritatis]

32. Heh, you missed the silliness after the Boxing Day Tsunami

The reactions around here led directly to the current prohibition on conspiracy theory posts. It was really embarrassing.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. I was thinking "Zionist doomsday machine"

[loudsue]

12. You mean like....HAARP?

Well that is something to consider.

[MrBig]

29. I think you forgot the sarcasm tag n/t

[Historic NY]

13. Well we are always Fracking around....

[idwiyo]

15. This is all you can think about? Any compassion towards victims or they don't deserve it because

they are "them brown people"?

[dipsydoodle]

2. More here

A magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck Iran on Tuesday, according to the United States Geographical Survey.

Reuters cited witnesses as saying that tall buildings shook as far as way as New Delhi, India, sending people running into the streets.

This is a breaking news story. Please come back for more information.

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/magnitude-80-earthquake-strikes-iran-usgs-says

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22168202

[davidpdx]

5. I hope that the people of Iran stay safe

It the area doesn't look like very densely populated according to Google Map. I suppose there is a possibility that there maybe injuries or fatalities on the Pakistan side given how close it was to the border.

Here is a map:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=28.056%C2%B0N%2C%2062.080%C2%B0E&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Some town/city sizes from Wikipedia:

Khash - c. 50 miles away - 56,000
Saravan - c. 50 miles - 59,000
Iranshar - c. 100 miles - 100,000
Zahedan - c. 120 miles - 550,000

[davidpdx]

25. I take that back, the latter two are pretty big

Google map doesn't really show the cities very well. I heard it was a very shallow quake which is bad. The other thing they have working against them is that structures aren't very stable. If that is the case they will probably be trying to account for all the people who have been injured or killed for a few days.

[Sunlei]

10. think I remember reading Iran is the #1 earthquake zone in the world?

There will be more earthquakes.

perhaps building things that could emit a radiation disaster isn't the smartest use of all those billions they got from those oil and resourse eater investers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. They have suffered very many

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Iran

30,000 dead in 2003 from the Bam earthquake; 40,000 in 1990, and those were both weaker than this.

[Sunlei]

22. yes, looks like Irans people got stuck with about the crappiest land for their country.

I think other than the oil romney/bush?/cheney? bought up about 20?? years ago (he invested huge in Iran) they don't have much left to sell except 'power' from power plants.

Look to the money- who paid for those nuke-sites to be built by throwing billions at Iran to take their oil?

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. I think parts of it must be pretty fertile

You don't build one of the world's biggest empires in antiquity on nothing. I don't know the country at all, but it's stayed fairly important in world history for thousands of years. Maybe not enough to make it a major agricultural country now, but it can't be that bad.

[Sunlei]

26. That area of the world has an amazing history.

A shame the past 100 or so years has changed entire countries so much.

[AngryAmish]

27. Could be worse, the Mongols could come back and kill everybody again.

[Art_from_Ark]

24. Japan might be the No. 1 earthquake zone

There are multiple earthquakes in Japan every single day. Here is a list of earthquakes that have happened in Japan just since April 2 (note: 3 earthquakes on this list happened outside of Japan, including the top 2)

http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/list/

[bananas]

11. Press TV live stream

http://www.presstv.ir/live.html

[bemildred]

14. Thanks. nt

[idwiyo]

16. Hope there are no casualties.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. At least 40 dead; an official says he expects hundreds killed

Update at the BBC link:

Iranian state TV has reported at least 40 people killed.

However, one official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying he feared hundreds had died.

At least five people died in Pakistan, near the border with Iran, hospital and local government officials said.

[idwiyo]

21. Yeah, just saw it. :(

[bananas]

18. Watch NDTV studio during today's tremors (Delhi)

http://m.ndtv.com/video/player/news/tremors-felt-in-delhi-gurgaon/271612

Watch NDTV studio during today's tremors
Published On:Apr 16, 2013 16:26 (IST) |
Duration: 4 min, 00 sec

Delhi, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad reported major tremors as an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Iran. At the NDTV studio in South Delhi, studio lights and equipment shook for nearly a minute. The quake was reportedly felt in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and India.

[Recursion]

28. Six dead in Pakistan

I hope this doesn't end as badly as that quake a few years ago

[RedCloud]

30. Energy pipelines safe and secure, just like Boehners Keystone!

[Paul E Ester]

31. Bump..nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. The relatively good news is this was much deeper than first thought

The USGS figure for depth at first was (see OP)
Depth 15.2 km (9.4 miles)
which the same page has now revised to
Depth 82 km (51.0 miles)

The BBC page now says over 30 people killed in Pakistan, but:

But Iran's Red Crescent said it expected limited damage and a low death toll because the earthquake was so deep - the Iranian Seismological Centre estimated the depth at 95km (59 miles).

Iran's Fars news agency said the depth of the quake had reduced its impact to the size of a magnitude-4.0 tremor on the surface.