The Dasht-e Bayāz (Iran) earthquake of August 31, 1968: A field report

Abstract

abstract The Dasht-e Bayāz earthquake of August 31, 1968 occurred in the east-central part of Iran, not far from where earlier shocks had caused damage at least as far back as the 9th Century A.D. The magnitude of the shock was 7.2. It was associated with an 80 km east-west fault-break which indicated maximum left-lateral displacement of 450 cm and maximum downthrow of 250 cm. The fault trace followed old faults with many topographical features of recent activity. The shock was felt over an area of about 400,000 km 2, and killed between 7,000 and 12,000 people. Over 12,000 housing units were destroyed. Damage to structures in the immediate vicinity of the fault-break was similar to that produced ten to twenty kilometers away.