Gowk (Golbaf) Earthquake of 05 July 1948, Mw6.0

Gowk (Golbaf) Earthquake of 05 July 1948, Mw6.0

In the late afternoon of July 5, 1948, a strong earthquake was felt in the Kerman province. The magnitude of this earthquake was determined as mb=5.9 and Ms=6. There are no detailed publications about the earthquake damage, but local information indicate that a few towns were destroyed in the district of Gowk with low population. It is said that the origin of the earthquake was located in the Doshah mountain in north of Gowk. The earthquake was felt strongly in the cities of Bam and Kerman. The event was important because of the fact that it was occurred along the south east of the area where some previous damaging events had occurred in the nineteenth century. Especially an earthquake in 1877 which devastated the Sirch, Hasanabad and Hashtadan villages and stopped the flow of hot springs. Damages extended to the villages located mainly in the south of the spa, where the earthquake caused the cracks in the ground. There is no evidence that the earthquake was felt in the far distances.