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Mild Quake Hits Northeastern Iran

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An earthquake measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale jolted the town of Aqqola in Golestan province, Northeastern Iran, on Thursday.

The Seismological center of Golestan province affiliated to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 07:38 hours local time (0408 GMT).

The epicenter of the quake was located in an area 54.4 degrees in longitude and 37 degrees in latitude.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth’s crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages.

Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the capital’s 14 million residents fear a major quake.

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