Small quakes shake loose big fears in Tehran
A recent series of small quakes near Tehran revives fears of the consequences of a major tremor striking the Iranian capital.
TEHRAN, Iran — The recent series of earthquakes near the Iranian capital have reignited worries about whether this metropolis will be able to withstand a powerful tremor. Meanwhile, measures taken by the government and Tehran municipality to avert high casualties in case of a major quake are once again coming under scrutiny.
On Aug. 25, the official IRNA news agency reported that a medium-strength earthquake had struck near Tehran. With a reported magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale, its epicenter was the towns of Damavand and Firoozkooh located east of Tehran.
Separately, on Aug. 13, two earthquakes measuring 4.1 and 3.4 on the Richter scale struck Javadabad, a district of Varamin located just southeast of Tehran.
Immediately after the tremors in Javadabad, the head of the Relief and Rescue Organization at Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Naser Charkhsaz, announced an orange-level alert for Tehran province. Charkhsaz said, “The Geophysics Institute at the University of Tehran has announced that the faults in Tehran and Semnan [a city located 216 kilometers, or 134 miles, east of Tehran] have been activated.”
