2022 Hormozgan Earthquakes

The earthquakes, which occurred around two hours apart, killed seven people and injured dozens more.

2022 Hormozgan earthquakes

UTC time	2022-07-01 21:32:08
	2022-07-01 23:25:14
ISC event	624504922
	624504901
USGS-ANSS	ComCat
	ComCat
Local date	July 2, 2022 (2022-07-02)
Local time	02:02
	03:55
Magnitude	6.0 Mw
	6.0 Mw
Depth	16.0 km (9.9 mi) 9.0 km (5.6 mi)
Epicenter	26°53′56″N 55°19′16″E / 26.899°N 55.321°E / 26.899; 55.321
Fault	Zagros fold and thrust belt
Type	Doublet Reverse
Max. intensity	MMI VII (Very strong)
Aftershocks	At least 12; strongest is 5.7 Mw
Casualties	7 dead, 111 injured

Hormozgan province lies at the southern margin of the collision zone between the Eurasian Plate and the Arabian Plate. This collision lead to the creation of the Zagros Mountains and the Iranian Plateau. The main fault system that runs through the Zagros Range is the Zagros fold and thrust belt, which has been responsible for causing many earthquakes in Iran over the years.

This earthquake is part of a sequence of earthquakes on 1 July, 2022, in southern Iran that began with a magnitude 6.0, followed by a magnitude 5.7 aftershock two hours later, and a magnitude 6.0 earthquake one minute after the magnitude 5.7 earthquake. The first two events were initially reported as 6.1 magnitude, while the third was an initial 6.2. They were revised down several hours later.^{[citation needed]} Earthquake sequences similar to this one have previously occurred in the Zagros Mountains, with a similar sequence occurring in November 2021.

Aftershocks

By 3 July, there were twelve aftershocks, the strongest of which was 5.7 M_w. On July 23, two more aftershocks occurred, measuring 5.4 and 5.6 M_w . The two quakes caused further damage to houses, and caused one indirect injury.

Intensity

The earthquakes had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong). The strongest shaking was reported in the provinces of Hormozgan and Fars. The earthquake was felt throughout the Middle East in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were severely affected by a more deadly earthquake 10 days earlier.

Other events

Two offshore earthquakes occurred in the same province near the town of Kish a month before the July events. The earthquakes measured 5.5 and 5.6 on the moment magnitude scale, and occurred at a depth of 10.0 km. The first earthquake injured four and damaged 20 buildings. The latter caused one death and 37 injuries.

Another earthquake, measuring magnitude 5.9 struck the same area on March 16 of that same year. It caused two injuries and minor damage in several villages.

Twelve towns and over 300 villages, with a combined population of around 900,000, were impacted by the earthquakes. The village of Sayeh Khvosh, home to around 1,100 people, was completely destroyed. The governor of Hormozgan, Mahdi Dousti, said that it would take several months to rebuild the village. In Bandar Khamir, at least 45 houses were affected, and 35 others were damaged in the town of Kong. In total, at least 392 houses were damaged or destroyed. There were also reports of power outages. A road between Bandar Khamir and Bandar Lengeh was blocked by a landslide. Seven people were killed and 111 others were injured. At least 22 of the injuries were serious enough to require hospitalisation.

• List of earthquakes in 2022
• List of earthquakes in Iran