Foroutan, M., Bolourchi, M.J., Solaymani Azad, S.,

Oveisi, B., Nemati, M., Shokri, M.A., and M., Eskandari
 

Seismotectonic group

Geological survey of Iran 

      On 20 December 2010 a destructive earthquake of Mw 6.7 occurred in the Kerman province of SE Iran. This event after the Bam and Dahuieh earthquakes is latest of three large earthquakes in last 7 years with magnitude of >6.3 that impressed the Kerman province. The Konarak earthquake occurred at o18:42:02 UTC (22:12:02 local time on 29 Azar 1389) in south of the Rigan city. The instrumental epicenter given by ISC is 28.53˚N; hl59.13˚E; located at the 97 km southeast of the Bam and 17 km SE of the Rigan cities (Table 1). A foreshock with magnitude of 3.8 in Mn scale occurred at the 22 km SE of Rigan city about 6 minutes before main-shock. Furthermore the main-shock was followed after five days by 76 aftershocks, the strongest of which (Mn 5.0) was on 21 December at   01:43 local time.

     Two days after the 2010 Konarak earthquake the area was visited by M.J Bolourchi,    S. Solaymani Azad and M. Foroutan and the general pattern of the surface ruptures was observed in strike of between N070º-N080º; left-stepping en-echelon with predominant mechanism of right-lateral strike slip movement about 5 cm that distributed in north of the Konarak village (Figure 1). The ruptures extended for a total length of >2 km along the southwestern portion of the Kahurak dextral active fault. This structure can be attributed to the southern termination of West Neh fault system in eastern side of the damaged area (Figure 2).      

     Maximum of destruction were observed near the Chah-Ghanbar village at the 54 Km south of the Rigan city (Figure 3). Most of the building in the area has been made by stone that more than 90 percent of them were destroyed. Fortunately because of absence the inhabitants inside the houses at the occurrence time just four kids were killed who lived in a stone-made house. Also some part of the stone-made buildings were destroyed in the Konarak village with four families in south of Chah-Ghanbar and severely felt in the Jabr Abad, Bardeskou, Kaskou, Gowreie, Tak-Farhad and Seyfoddin villages.