TEHRAN – An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook northeastern Golestan province on Monday, leaving 34 injured.

The quake occurred in the city of Ramian at 2:04 a.m. at a depth of 9 kilometers, according to the University of Tehran Seismological Center.

There have so far no reports of fatalities or major injuries in the aftermath of the quake.

The Iranian plateau is located in a very seismically active region of the world and is known not only for its major catastrophic earthquakes but also for the disasters relating to natural hazards, especially earthquakes. About 2 percent of the earthquakes of the world occur in Iran but more than 6 percent of the victims of the world earthquakes during the 20th century are reported from Iranian earthquakes. This shows the high level of vulnerability in Iran, according to Mehdi Zare, a professor of engineering seismology.

Most recently, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook the western province of Kermanshah on August 9.

On November 12, 2017, a destructive earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit Sarpol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah. Some 90,000 houses were partly or completely damaged by the tremor. Sadly, the quake took over 660 lives and left more than 10,000 injured.

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