The 2005 Qeshm earthquake was a powerful seismic event that occurred on November 27, 2005, on the sparsely populated Qeshm Island (pictured) off Southern Iran. It killed 13 people and devastated 13 villages. It was Iran's second major earthquake of 2005, following that at Zarand in February. The epicenter was about 1,500 kilometers (932 mi) south of Tehran. The earthquake registered 5.8 on the moment magnitude scale. More than 400 minor aftershocks followed the main quake, 36 of which were greater than magnitude 2.5. The earthquake occurred in a remote area during the middle of the day, limiting the number of fatalities. Iranian relief efforts were effective and largely adequate, leading the country to decline offers of support from other nations and UNICEF. Qeshm Island is part of the Simply Folded Belt, the most seismically active part of the Zagros fold and thrust belt. Similar to most earthquakes in the area, the 2005 event resulted from reverse slip faulting. Since Iran lies in such a seismically active area, there is a high risk of destructive earthquakes; 1 in 3,000 deaths are attributable to earthquakes. One geophysicist has cited the lack of strict building codes as a serious concern.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Qeshm_earthquake
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1258:
Hulagu Khan and the Mongols sacked and burned Baghdad, a cultural and commercial centre of the Islamic world at the time, ending the rule of the Abbasid caliphate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Baghdad_(1258)
1567:
After an explosion destroyed the house in Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh, where he was staying, the strangled body of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the King consort of Scotland, was found in a nearby orchard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stuart,_Lord_Darnley
1930:
The Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang launched the failed Yen Bai mutiny in the hope of ending French colonial rule in Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yen_Bai_mutiny
1939:
Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists concluded their conquest of Catalonia and sealed the border with France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia_Offensive
2008:
The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Namdaemun_fire
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
ophidian: Of or pertaining to the suborder Serpentes; of, related to, or characteristic of a snake or serpent. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ophidian
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. --Christ https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Christ