At least 16 injuries were reported following a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that struck north-northwest of Do Gonbadan, Iran, on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Emergency personnel was dispatched to impacted areas as soon as the earthquake hit. Gachsaran, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran, are said to have been affected by the quake.
State TV did not release any immediate information about possible casualties or damage, according to Reuters.
 |
The earthquake was not far below the surface at a depth of 10.0 km, which caused damage to buildings.
“Not only will the strength and distance away from the epicenter of an earthquake determine how much a city or town will feel the effects of the quake. But how shallow or deep in the earth’s surface the earthquake occurs will also be a factor,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Maura Kelly said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
“Earthquakes deeper in the earth’s crust will have less of an impact on nearby cities and towns as the seismic waves will have to travel a farther distance for reaching the surface, causing them to lose energy. However, tremors from deeper earthquakes can be felt by cities farther away from the center,” Kelly said.
“Shallow earthquakes, or ones that occur closer to the surface, will not lose as much energy. This can lead to more widespread damage to buildings, which can lead to more injuries as well as deaths,” Kelly said.
The same area impacted by the quake is also dealing with large wildfires across the region. There are extensive fires in several parts of Gachsaran, particularly in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.
“Largely dry conditions and hazy sunshine are expected across central and southern Iran in the coming days,” added Kelly. “High temperatures are forecast to climb near 41 C (105 F) each afternoon. This could lead to dangerous conditions as rescue and recovery efforts continue across the region this week.”
Only a few weeks ago on May 8, two people died and 22 others were injured following a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that hit northern Iran.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.