The earthquake happened on December 26, 2003 , 01:56:52, in Bam, Iran. The magnitude of the event was 6.6 .
This earthquake occurred as a result of stresses generated by the motion of the Arabian plate northward against the Eurasian plate at a rate of approximately 3 centimeters per year. Deformation of the Earth's crust in response to the plate motion takes place in a broad zone that spans the entire width of Iran and extends into Turkmenistan. Earthquakes occur as the result of both reverse faulting and strike-slip faulting within the zone of deformation.
There were 26,271 fatalities and 30,000 injured. 85-90% of buildings and infrastructure in the Bam area were either damaged or destroyed, with 75% of houses being completely destroyed, plus 70-90% of Bam's residential areas. This left an estimated 100,000 homeless.
The Iranian government seriously considered moving the capital of Tehran in fear of an earthquake occurring there. The earthquake also had an impact on the victims for years afterwards. A new institutional framework in Iran was established to address problems of urban planning and to reconstruct the city of Bam in compliance with strict seismic regulations.
I think that the public and local builders of the need should be more understanding, to build in a seismically resistant manner and to retrofit or replace older buildings which are more likely to collapse in an earthquake than newer buildings. They should also improve their design codes such that it is more resistant towards earthquakes and use higher qualities of construction materials to decrease the probability of it collapsing in an earthquake.
Before and After the Earthquake in Bam, Iran.
