New Delhi: Earthquake tremors were felt in Iran and Dubai late on Wednesday night. The epicenter of the earthquake was southern Iran. Due to this, even the streams of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were shaken. People came out of the house scared by the shock of the earthquake. Its depth was 9.8 km. Earthquakes have been felt in many Asian countries in recent times. Earlier, India and Nepal were also hit by earthquakes.
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 10 kilometers from Gavmiri in Iran’s Hormozgan province late Wednesday night. The shock was so strong that many areas of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates were shaken. This was also confirmed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). There is no news of death or any other damage in these sandy countries due to this earthquake. But why is the area of Iran shaking? Is the earth breaking into pieces? Know what the experts say?
In fact, Iran is located on an earthquake-prone land. There has been a history of earthquakes of great magnitude here. In April 2013, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook the desert country. In fact, the country, famous for its oil wells, is in a high earthquake risk zone. The earthquake in 2013 was so strong that even the land of New Delhi, 2300 km away, was shaken. 35 people were killed in this tragedy in Iran. But the worst condition was Pakistan. Because the epicenter of the earthquake was on the Iran-Pakistan border.
Iran is one of the few countries in the world that is most affected by earthquakes. The country has many seismic faults, which cover 90 percent of the entire country. Such a dangerous earthquake happened 40 years before the 2013 earthquake. Beneath the land of Iran is a collection of several tectonic plates. Iran has experienced so many earthquakes since 1900 that it has killed around 1.25 lakh people.
Why is the earth of Iran shaking so much?
If you look at a map of tectonic plates, you will know that the Indian plate is south-east of the Iranian tectonic plate. To the north is the Eurasian plate. To the south and west is the Arabian plate. Now even a slight movement in these plates shakes all the four plates. Another big thing is that the Zagros fold and thrust belt is close to the Arabian plate. This is an ancient subduction zone.
The Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt is an 1800 km long line between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is actually a valley inside the land. The area above this valley produces 49 percent of the world’s petroleum products. That is, there are oil producing countries. The Arabian plate is moving towards the Eurasian plate by 3 cm per year. Due to which there is constant movement in Jagros fold and thrust belt. This subduction zone does not bear the pressure between the plates. pushes it forward. The Alborz Mountains, Caucasus Mountains and the Iranian Plateau are affected. That is why the earth of Iran trembles.
90% of Iran’s territory is in the danger zone
Friedrich Tillmann, a seismologist at the German Research Center for Geosciences, says that Iran is in an extremely earthquake-prone area. Here is the maximum fault line. ie cracks within the ground caused by tectonic plates. There is a fault line between Iran and Iraq due to the Arabian and Eurasian plates. This is why the Zagros Mountains were created. 90 percent area of this country is in extremely dangerous zone.
The most dangerous earthquake ever in Iran The most dangerous earthquake occurred in Iran in the year 1978. Its magnitude was 7.8 on the Richter scale. 20 thousand people were killed in Iran due to this earthquake. But the most damaging earthquake occurred in 1990 with a magnitude of 7.7. More than 50 thousand Iranians were killed and more than 1.35 lakh were injured in this earthquake. 4 lakh people became homeless. Roads, canals, fields etc. were badly damaged.
Earthquake prediction is… impossible
It is impossible for any country or technology to predict earthquakes. These incidents may increase due to climate change. Drought, over-extraction of oil and water in Iran over the past few decades has hollowed out the ground. Due to slight movements in plates or volcanic activity, the upper surface of the Earth vibrates. As far as the fragmentation of the earth is concerned, let us tell you that scientists have predicted that in a few thousand years all the continents will merge and form a super-continent. That means all the plates will stick to each other.
Strong earthquake tremors were felt in Iran and Dubai on Wednesday night (India time). According to the information, earthquake shocks have also been felt in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. As soon as the shock of the earthquake was felt, people rushed out of the house in panic. No loss of life or property is currently reported.