TEHRAN – Some 603 earthquakes have been recorded across the country over the past calendar month (September 23- October 22), according to the Seismological networks of the Institute of Geophysics of the University of Tehran.

Of the total 603 quakes, 11 were more than 4 on the Richter scale, the largest of which occurred on October 5, with a magnitude of 5.4 in Khoy, West Azerbaijan.

At least 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 to 5 have occurred in the country.Statistically, 530 earthquakes with magnitudes smaller than 3, and 62 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3 to 4 have occurred. At least 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 to 5 have occurred in the country.

Among the provinces of the country, West Azerbaijan with 178 earthquakes, Khorasan Razavi and Kerman with 73 and 53 earthquakes, respectively, recorded the highest number of earthquakes in the country.

One quake was also recorded in Tehran province, which was in Pishva, Varamin county with a magnitude of 1.9 on the Richter scale.

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 in the world occur in Iran but more than 6% 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.

Tehran is also one of the most hazardous metropolises in the world in terms of the risk of different natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, subsidence, drought, landslide, fire following an earthquake, etc.

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