856 Damghan earthquake

The 856 Damghan earthquake or the 856 Qumis earthquake happened on 22 December 856 (242 AH). The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.9. The area of maximum damage was about 350 kilometres (220 mi) long. It was along the southern edge of the eastern Alborz mountains of present-day Iran. The earthquake's epicenter was close to the city of Damghan. Damgham was the capital of the Persian province of Qumis at the time. The earthquake caused about 200,000 deaths and is listed by the USGS as the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.^[2] Some people do not think that this death toll is correct.^[3]

Damghan earthquake

Local date	22 December 856 (856-12-22)
Local time	At night
Magnitude	7.9 Ms
Epicenter	36.2°N 54.3°E / 36.2; 54.3[1]
Fault	Astenah Fault System
Type	Strike-slip
Areas affected	Iran
Casualties	200,000 dead

Map of meizoseismal area for the 856 earthquake and main fault structures