Quake in Iran, tremors felt in the UAE

Quake in Iran, tremors felt in the UAE Staff Report / 11 May 2013 Residents in Sharjah reported tremors from two strong earthquake in Iran and Oman this morning. Measuring 6.2 and 6.3 on the Richter scale respectively, the epicenter of the quakes was 85km southeast of Minab, and near Khasab in Oman, according to the US Geological Survey. It was at a depth of 34km in Minab and occurred at 6.08am The quake which struck Oman had a depth of 33 kilometers and was centered 186 kilometers east of al Khasab, the agency said.. There were no early reports of casualties.  Some readers calling in from Sharjah said they experienced a mild tremor and said they first thought they were having dizzy spells, but later realized it could have been a quake. ‘’’I had just woken up and felt uncomfortable and thought I was groggy. I then noticed a vase on the shelf moving for a second,’’ said a resident in the Al Khan area. The US observatory recorded several aftershocks measuring 4.6 to 4.8 after the event. Last month Iran was hit by a 7.8 quake, which was felt across the UAE and in the Sub continent. news@khaleejtimes.com Strong quake causes damage, injuries in southern Iran A strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit southern Iran early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, with local media reporting of damaged villages and several injuries. Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Oman A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf nation of Oman on Saturday near the northern city of Al Khasab, the US Geological Survey said. The quake had a depth of 21 miles (33 km) and was centered 116 miles (186 km) east of al Khasab, the agency said. The epicentre of the quake was measured at 85 kilometres (52 miles) southeast of the southern town of Minab at 0208 GMT , the USGS said in a statement. It was at a depth of 36.44 km. Head of Iran’s Red Crescent rescue corps Mahmoud Mozafar told the Fars news agency that at least 11 people had been injured in five villages which were “severely” hit by the quake. The Mehr news agency, quoted him as saying that “several houses were leveled” based on preliminary reports. The reports said rescue teams were dispatched to the affected area. The USGS said there was a 35 percent chance of fatalities from the quake which the Hong Kong Observatory measured at 6.1 magnitude. Iran’s Seismological Centre has registered a series of aftershocks, measuring between 4.1 and 5.2. Iran sits astride several major fault lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes, some of which have been devastating. Last month, the biggest earthquake to hit the country in 50 years, measuring 7.8, killed a woman and injured more than a dozen other people in the southeast. At least 40 people were killed across the border in Pakistan where hundreds of mud homes were leveled. A double earthquake, one measuring 6.2 and the other 6.0, struck northwestern Iran last August, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000. In December 2003, a massive quake struck the southern city of Bam. It killed 26,271 people — about a quarter of the population — and destroyed the city’s ancient mud-built citadel. Taylor Scott International